CMS launched its Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings program in 2016, spurring a complicated web of updates and delays in response to scrutiny over the accuracy of the rating system's data and calculations.
Here is a complete timeline of updates and delays for the Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings program:
April 2016:Just one day before the scores were supposed to go live, CMS postpones the program's release to July 2016.
July 2016: CMS launches the Overall Hospital Star Ratings Program.
October 2016: The agency releases an October star ratings update that includes new data on patient experience and care safety, effectiveness and timeliness.
December 2016: CMS releases new scores and changes the star ratings updates to twice a year, instead of quarterly.
June 2017: CMS delays its July star ratings update to October due to scoring issues with three quality measures: central line-associated bloodstream infections, Clostridium difficile infections and PSI-90.
September 2017: The agency again postpones the update scheduled for October due to issues with the same three quality measures.
December 2017: CMS updated its Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings after a five-month delay.
June 2018: CMS delays its July star ratings update for the second consecutive year. The agency has not released plans for the next update.
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