The update to Hospital Compare data on CMS Hospital Compare, originally scheduled for April 21, 2016, will now occur on May 4, 2016. This release will include refreshes to the measure data and the release of new measures for the Inpatient Psychiatric Program and Ambulatory Surgical Centers.
According to AHA News, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced yesterday that it will delay until at least July 2016 the release of overall hospital quality “star ratings” on its Hospital Compare website. The ratings were originally scheduled to be released April 21. Kaiser Health News writes that In a notice sent Wednesday morning, CMS told Congress it would delay release of the star ratings on its Hospital Compare website until July. “CMS is committed to working with hospitals and associations to provide further guidance about star ratings,” the notice said. “After the star ratings go live in their first iteration, we will refine and improve the site as we work together and gain experience.”But in a conference call with hospital representatives, CMS officials said they might delay release of the ratings past July if they are still analyzing or revising the methodology, according to people who participated in the call.