The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and hospitals nationwide are committed to providing transparent information about hospital quality performance. This collaborative effort is showcased through resources like Care Compare on Medicare.gov and the Provider Data Catalog, designed to empower patients with credible data.
Hospital Care Compare serves as a vital tool, presenting hospital performance data in a clear and standardized format. This Hospital Compare Website focuses on Medicare-certified facilities, including Acute Care Hospitals, Veteran’s Hospitals, Department of Defense Hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals, and Children’s Hospitals. The data available on this platform is crucial for consumers seeking to understand the quality of care provided by different institutions. Participation in data submission is also linked to the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program and the Hospital Outpatient Reporting (OQR) Program, ensuring comprehensive and up-to-date information.
Care Compare on Medicare.gov offers a wealth of quality measures, categorized into several key areas to give a holistic view of hospital performance:
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Process of Care Measures: These metrics evaluate whether hospitals deliver recommended treatments based on established guidelines and standards of care. By converting patient record data into performance rates, the hospital compare website allows users to benchmark hospitals against state and national averages, offering insights into adherence to best practices.
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Outcome Measures: Focusing on the results of care, outcome measures reflect the actual impact of hospital treatment. This provides patients with critical information on the effectiveness of care received at different hospitals when using the hospital compare website.
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Patient Experience of Care (HCAHPS): The hospital compare website incorporates patient perspectives through the HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey. This standardized national survey captures patient experiences during hospital stays, providing valuable qualitative data on patient satisfaction and care quality.
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Efficiency and Coordination Measures: Beyond direct patient care, the hospital compare website also includes data on imaging efficiency, care transitions, emergency department throughput, care coordination, and patient safety. These measures offer a broader understanding of hospital operations and patient flow.
The Evolution of the Hospital Compare Website
The journey towards transparent hospital quality reporting began with the inception of Hospital Compare, a pioneering hospital compare website created through a partnership between Medicare and the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA). Formed in December 2002, the HQA was a public-private collaboration dedicated to enhancing healthcare through information dissemination. This alliance included diverse stakeholders—consumers, hospitals, providers, employers, accrediting bodies, and federal agencies—all working towards empowering informed healthcare decisions and driving quality improvement across U.S. hospitals.
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2005: Foundational Measures Introduced: Hospital Compare launched with a “starter set” of ten process of care measures. These initial metrics focused on key conditions such as heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, and surgical care, establishing a baseline for quality reporting on the hospital compare website.
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2008: Patient Experience and Mortality Data Added: A significant expansion occurred with the integration of HCAHPS survey data, bringing patient voices directly into the hospital compare website. Simultaneously, reporting of 30-day mortality rates for heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia began, adding crucial outcome-based metrics.
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2009: Outpatient Data Expansion: The scope broadened to include hospital outpatient facilities, incorporating imaging efficiency data alongside emergency department and surgical process measures. This expansion made the hospital compare website more comprehensive, covering both inpatient and outpatient services.
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2010: Readmission Measures Introduced: To further refine outcome reporting, 30-day readmission measures for heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia were added. This enhancement on the hospital compare website addressed the continuity and long-term effectiveness of hospital care.
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2011: Focus on Hospital-Acquired Infections: Data on Hospital Associated Infections (HAIs) from the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHNS) began to be featured. Initially focused on ICUs, these measures expanded to include other hospital wards, increasing transparency around infection control on the hospital compare website.
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2012-2017: Programmatic Data Integration and Expansion: The hospital compare website continued to evolve with the addition of data from key programs like the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (2012) and the Hospital Value Based Purchasing program (2013). HCAHPS Star Ratings (2015), Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings (2016), and data from Veterans Health Administration Hospitals (2016) and Department of Defense hospitals (2017) were also incorporated, enriching the depth and breadth of information available.
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2020: Unified Care Setting Comparisons: A major shift occurred as hospital data was integrated with data from other care settings, allowing users to compare hospitals, nursing homes, and more on a single platform. The original Hospital Compare website was retired as part of this consolidation, streamlining the user experience.
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2023: Enhanced Star Ratings and Recognition: Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals became eligible for Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings, further standardizing quality assessments. The introduction of a “Birthing-Friendly” icon on the hospital compare website also provided targeted recognition for hospitals meeting specific maternal care criteria.
Today, over 150 hospital quality measures are reported on Care Compare on Medicare.gov and the Provider Data Catalog. CMS remains dedicated to the ongoing enhancement of this hospital compare website, collaborating with stakeholders to ensure it continues to serve as a valuable resource for patients and the healthcare community.
