Following pressure from the hospital industry and lawmakers, CMS postponed the posting of the new quality star ratings for hospitals, just one day ahead of scheduled release. Public release of the data is now slated for July, according to a CMS letter to hospitals.
CMS has signaled plans to host calls with providers in order to address questions about the current methodology behind the star ratings system and gather feedback to be used in refining the program.
CMS has been promoting the ratings for hospitals, nursing homes, dialysis facilities, and other providers as a way for consumers to compare and select providers. The system awards hospitals from one to five stars based on specific inpatient and outpatient quality measures that are similar to the PQRS measures reported by physicians.
Next year, CMS plans to publish a similar quality star ratings system for physicians based on performance on this year’s PQRS measures.
Impact for NextGen Healthcare clients
It is likely that CMS will hear concerns in the coming months from physicians, similar to those voiced by the hospital industry. With the growth of online consumer ratings systems from companies like Google and Yelp, there is good reason to believe that healthcare consumers will base decisions about where they seek medical care on such a CMS star rating system. This further highlights the need to perform well on CMS quality measures. Similarly, NextGen Healthcare is committed to supporting clients with new and improved solutions aligned with emerging healthcare consumerism trends and value-based payment models.