Renacci, Rice introduce bill to delay Overall Hospital Star Ratings for one more year
AHA among groups concerned that the methodology used does not account for socioeconomic factors affecting patient outcomes.
Two U.S. Representatives in Congress on Monday introduced a bill that would delay the release of the Overall Hospital Star Ratings until July 2017, one year later than the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services plans to unveil the new ratings.
The bill was sponsored by Reps. James Renacci, R-OH, and Kathleen Rice, D-NY.
The move comes nearly four months after 60 U.S. Senators sent a letter to CMS urging them to delay the new ratings program over concerns that the methodology used does not account for socioeconomic factors affecting patient outcomes.
The earlier star ratings were based on patient answers to Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems surveys. But the new Overall Star Ratings program leans on other metrics that gauge the quality of care, patient experience, safety and mortality, readmissions and use of imaging, among other measures.
CMS is expected to release the ratings this month and it has already made public the summary results of the new program. In that summary, CMS said only 102 hospitals will earn five stars.
[Also: 102 hospitals will earn 5 stars in new Overall Star Ratings, CMS says]
The American Hospital Association, which has long voiced concerns over the program, on Monday threw its support behind the new bill.
"Hospitals and members of Congress are in agreement: CMS can do better," the group said in a statement. "The majority of Congress – 60 members of the Senate and more than 225 members of the House – asked CMS to delay and improve upon the star ratings. Our own analysis of preliminary data continues to raise questions and concerns about the methodology, which may unfairly penalize teaching hospitals and those serving the poor."
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The Association of American Medical Colleges also said it applauded the bill.
"The current methodology does not take into account important differences in the patient populations and the complexity of conditions that teaching hospitals treat," the group said. "The ratings generated by this flawed system could possibly steer patients away from some of the best hospitals for their conditions."
The bill, H.R.5927 has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Twitter: @HenryPowderly
Contact the author: henry.powderly@himssmedia.com
