Quality of Patient Care Star Rating FAQ:
What are the Quality of Patient Care Star Ratings for HHAs?
Star ratings are used to rate a home health agency’s quality of care provided to patients. Stars were chosen to help consumers quickly and easily identify providers based on the quality of care provided to prior patients.
What is the purpose of the star rating system?
CMS is required by the Affordable Care Act to provide more data to consumers. The overall goal is to force providers to improve patient care.
Where does the rating data come from?
Star ratings are being added to the data that is submitted to Home Health Compare statistics generated from your agency’s OASIS submissions and patient CAHPS surveys.
What data is used in the ratings?
- 3 Process Measures
- Timely initiation of care
- Drug education on all medications provided to the patient or caregiver
- Influenza information received for the current flu season
- 6 Outcome Measures
- Improvement in ambulation
- Improvement in bed transferring
- Improvement in bathing
- Improvement in pain interfering with activity
- Improvement in shortness of breath
- Increase or decrease in acute care hospitalization rate
When will the ratings be added to the Medicare.com/HomeHealthCompare website?
CMS expects to add the star ratings to HHC in July 2015. Other providers already have quality statistics reported using stars.
What are the star rating increments?
Star ratings begin at 1 star for the lowest quality score and reach 5 stars for the highest quality level of care. Half-star ratings are also used to rate an agency.
What is the average star rating?
- 46% of agencies are rated between 3 and 3½ stars.
- 24% of agencies are rated between 4 and 4½ stars
- 3% of agencies have 5 star ratings.
For more detailed information about the Quality of Patient Care Star Ratings System, download our printable FAQ:
Quality of Patient Care Star Rating FAQ
You can also learn more here:
An Introduction to the New Home Health Compare Star Ratings
Reach for the Stars: the New Home Health Agency Star Rating System
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