Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New Hospital Star Ratings Ignite Debate About Assessing Quality Of Care
WBUR: How Many Stars For Your Hospital? The Pros And Cons Of New Medicare Hospital Ratings
The federal government is out with a five-star rating system for the hospital near you and more than 3,600 across the country. In Massachusetts, half of the hospitals earned three stars. Only one scored the top five-star rating and there is only one with a single star. The rating is based on 64 measures including patient-reported hospital cleanliness, infection rates, how often Medicare patients are readmitted for heart failure and how often those with pneumonia die. Many hospitals are not pleased with the new practice. ... Consumer groups, including Health Care For All (HCFA), applaud the federal CMS for shedding light on differences between hospitals. (Bebinger, 7/29)
The New Orleans Times-Picayune: Jefferson Parish Hospitals Top Local Providers In Medicare Ratings
Jefferson Parish's two public hospitals earned high marks from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services as part of the center's first Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating. West Jefferson Medical Center and East Jefferson General Hospital both scored four stars out of five, placing them among the top 20 percent of rated hospitals in the country. Well-regarded hospitals like Tulane Medical Center and Ochsner Medical Center New Orleans, by comparison, received just two out of five stars. (Lipinski, 7/28)
Kansas Health Institute: Five Kansas Hospitals Receive Five Stars In Medicare’s New Ratings
Federal health officials Wednesday released much anticipated — and controversial — quality ratings for 4,000 hospitals in the United States, and five Kansas facilities received the top rating of five stars. The hospital industry has criticized the ratings system as overly simplistic and its methodology as flawed. And hospitals that serve largely poor populations or deal with more complex cases say it unfairly penalizes them. (Margolies, 7/28)
NJ Spotlight: Some NJ Hospitals Unhappy With How They Score In The New Ranking System
None of the Garden State’s 64 acute care facilities scored five stars, but nine percent (6 facilities) got a single star – nearly three times the national rate. More than 12 percent (8) achieved four stars; nearly a third (20) scored three stars; and 47 percent (30) were assigned two stars by CMS. In general, hospitals in suburban central New Jersey and along the Shore performed well, while hospitals in urban areas or aging bedroom communities scored lower. (Stainton, 7/28)
Related KHN coverage: Many Well-Known Hospitals Fail To Score 5 Stars In Medicare’s New Ratings (Rau, 7/27).
