The proliferation of hospital ratings and rankings may cause more confusion than transparency, according to a Kaiser Health News report.
There are numerous hospital rating agencies and programs, including The Leapfrog Group, Healthgrades, U.S. News & World Report, Truven Health Analytics, Consumer Reports and The Joint Commission, not to mention state-specific ratings. These rating programs and companies often have different methodologies, which can result in vastly different evaluations of hospitals.
For example, St. Mary Mercy Livonia (Mich.) Hospital was awarded an "A" in patient safety from The Leapfrog Group and was named one of the 50 best U.S. hospitals by Healthgrades, but did not make The Joint Commission's or U.S. News & World Report's best hospitals list and received an average safety score of 47 out of 100 by Consumer Reports, according to the Kaiser Health News report.
While the ratings aim to inform consumers about the quality of hospitals and healthcare services, their sometimes contradictory conclusions may dull their usefulness for patients. In addition, it is unclear whether ratings affect patients' choice of providers, according to the report.
A Kaiser Health News analysis found that more than 1,600 hospitals, comprising roughly a third of U.S. hospitals, won at least one distinction from a major rating group or company last year, according to the report.
These awards can motivate hospitals to improve performance; however, receiving distinctions may also reduce the drive for continuous performance due to a perception of already being at the top of the market, Paul Levy, former CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, said in the report.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this article stated that St. Mary Mercy Livonia received an average safety score of 47 out of 100 by The Joint Commission. That was incorrect; the score was given by Consumer Reports. We apologize for the error.
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There are numerous hospital rating agencies and programs, including The Leapfrog Group, Healthgrades, U.S. News & World Report, Truven Health Analytics, Consumer Reports and The Joint Commission, not to mention state-specific ratings. These rating programs and companies often have different methodologies, which can result in vastly different evaluations of hospitals.
For example, St. Mary Mercy Livonia (Mich.) Hospital was awarded an "A" in patient safety from The Leapfrog Group and was named one of the 50 best U.S. hospitals by Healthgrades, but did not make The Joint Commission's or U.S. News & World Report's best hospitals list and received an average safety score of 47 out of 100 by Consumer Reports, according to the Kaiser Health News report.
While the ratings aim to inform consumers about the quality of hospitals and healthcare services, their sometimes contradictory conclusions may dull their usefulness for patients. In addition, it is unclear whether ratings affect patients' choice of providers, according to the report.
A Kaiser Health News analysis found that more than 1,600 hospitals, comprising roughly a third of U.S. hospitals, won at least one distinction from a major rating group or company last year, according to the report.
These awards can motivate hospitals to improve performance; however, receiving distinctions may also reduce the drive for continuous performance due to a perception of already being at the top of the market, Paul Levy, former CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, said in the report.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this article stated that St. Mary Mercy Livonia received an average safety score of 47 out of 100 by The Joint Commission. That was incorrect; the score was given by Consumer Reports. We apologize for the error.
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