Hospital Compare is a consumer-oriented website that provides information on how well hospitals provide recommended care to their patients. On this site, the consumer can see the recommended care that an adult should get if being treated for a heart attack, heart failure, or pneumonia or having surgery. The performance rates for this website generally reflect care provided to all U.S. adults with the exception of the 30-Day Risk Adjusted Death measures that only include Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for heart attack and heart failure. In March 2008, data from the Hospital CAHPS (HCAHPS)
survey, also known as the CAHPS Hospital Survey, will be added to Hospital Compare. HCAHPS provides a standardized instrument and data collection methodology for measuring patients¡¦ perspectives on hospital care.

This website was created through the efforts of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), along with the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA). The Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA): Improving Care Through Information was created in December 2002. The HQA is a public-private collaboration established to promote reporting on hospital quality of care. The HQA consists of organizations that represent consumers, hospitals, doctors, employers, accrediting organizations, and Federal agencies. The HQA effort is intended to make it easier for the consumer to make informed healthcare decisions, and to support efforts to improve quality in U.S. hospitals. The major vehicle for achieving this goal is the Hospital Compare website.

The Hospital Compare website is updated on a quarterly basis. The upcoming schedule of updates is as follows:

• September 20, 2007: Reporting Period of January 2006 to December 2006
• December 13, 2007: Reporting Period of April 2006 to March 2007
• March 20, 2008: Reporting Period of July 2006 to June 2007

This section provides links to the current website. Data from previous Hospital Compare postings can be downloaded using the links below.

Downloads
Fact Sheet - About Medicare Payment and Volume [PDF 29 KB] Year 2005 Archive [ZIP 5.2 MB] Year 2006 Archive [ZIP 5.6 MB] Year 2007 Archive [ZIP 9MB] Archived - December 2007 (2nd, 3rd & 4th Q 2006 and 1st Q 2007) [Zip 3 MB] Archived - March 2008 (3rd Q & 4th Q 2006 and 1st & 2nd Q 2007) [Zip 6 MB] Archived - August 2008 (4th Q 2006 and 1st, 2nd & 3rd Q 2007) [Zip 6 MB] Archived - September 2008 (1st through 4th Q 2007) [Zip 6 MB]
Related Links Inside CMS
Medicare.gov Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA) FAQs
Related Links Outside CMS
Hospital Compare

Page Last Modified: 01/20/2009 9:57:35 AM
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