The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) April 21 delayed the release of the hospital quality star ratings on the Hospital Compare website until at least July 2016. The announcement follows months of AAMC and hospital stakeholder outreach, including bipartisan Congressional letters signed by 60 Senators [see Washington Highlights, April 15] and 225 House members to CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt, urging for a delay to provide necessary time to examine the rating methodology.
AAMC President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, MD, issued a statement commending CMS for the delay saying, “By listening to the concerns expressed by the AAMC and others in the hospital community, CMS will avoid providing patients with misleading information while allowing time to understand the impact of the ratings and address the flaws in the measures and methodology.”
Reps. Jim Renacci (R-Ohio) and Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) led an April 18 letter outlining concerns with the system, specifically regarding the overall methodology, lack of adjustment for the socioeconomic status or complexity of patients treated by certain hospitals, and lack of transparency around the calculation of the ratings.