To improve consumers’ understanding of how hospital performance is measured and to make it easier for patients to compare the quality of care at various facilities, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is considering using a star or some other easily understood symbol to rate hospitals on its Hospital Compare website.
According to a Kaiser Health News article, the proposed idea is being met with some criticism from organizations such as the Association of American Medical Colleges. The article cites a letter the AAMC sent to Medicare that said it "strongly opposes the use of a star rating system, which may make inappropriate distinctions for hospitals whose performance is not statistically different. A star rating system can also exaggerate minor performance differences on measures."
The article also goes on to discuss how some providers favor the idea of making standards easier to understand, but there is concern that oversimplifying the data could render the provided information meaningless. And others wonder whether there is enough solid information about healthcare quality available to make a star-rating system effective.
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