CMS Hospital Star Ratings Offer Limited Measure of Surgical Quality
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, June 18, 2024 -- Although the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) star ratings are associated with adverse outcomes after surgery, there is wide variation in outcomes within each star rating group, according to a study published online June 18 in JAMA Surgery.
Adrian Diaz, M.D., M.P.H., from The Ohio State University in Columbus, and colleagues examined the CMS hospital star ratings and hospital surgical quality for Medicare beneficiaries undergoing colectomy, coronary artery bypass graft, cholecystectomy, appendectomy, and incisional hernia repair. Data were included for 1,898,829 patients at 3,240 hospitals with a CMS star rating.
The researchers found that the risk- and reliability-adjusted 30-day mortality rate decreased from 6.80 to 4.93 percent in one- and five-star hospitals, respectively (adjusted odds ratio, 1.86). Across all hospitals, wide variation was seen in the rates of hospital mortality, serious complications, and readmission (variation, 1.89, 1.97, and 1.27 percent, respectively). After stratifying hospitals by their star rating, similar variation patterns were seen within star-rating groups for 30-day mortality (variation, 1.91, 1.86, 1.84, 1.76, and 1.79 percent for one-, two-, three-, four-, and five-star, respectively). For serious complications and readmissions, similar patterns were seen.
"These findings highlight the limitations of the CMS star rating system as a measure of surgical quality and should be a call for continued improvement of publicly reported hospital grade measures," the authors write
One author disclosed ties to ArborMetrix.
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted June 2024
Read this next
Low Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment Rates Seen in Cancer Survivors
THURSDAY, May 29, 2025 -- For U.S. adult cancer survivors with a new alcohol use disorder (AUD) diagnosis, the one-year cumulative incidence of AUD treatment initiation was 14.3...
Total Number of Excess Deaths >14.7 Million in U.S. in 1980 to 2023
THURSDAY, May 29, 2025 -- There were 14,735,913 excess deaths in the United States during 1980 to 2023 compared with other high-income countries (HICs), according to a research...
Earlier Natural Menopause Risk Increased for Women in Socially Vulnerable Neighborhoods
THURSDAY, May 29, 2025 -- Women residing in U.S. neighborhoods with high social vulnerability have a higher risk for earlier natural menopause, according to a study published...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.