Description
Hospital Compare is a consumer-oriented website that provides information on how well hospitals provide recommended care to their patients.
Supplier(s)
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Data Years Available
2005-present
Periodicity
Annual
Mode
Data are compiled from various sources.
Selected Content
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. In March 2008, data from the Hospital CAHPS (HCAHPS) survey, also known as the CAHPS Hospital Survey, was added to Hospital Compare. HCAHPS provides a standardized instrument and data collection methodology for measuring patient's perspectives on hospital care.
Population covered
CMS compiles this information from claims and enrollment data for patients in Original (fee-for-service) Medicare. It does not include people in Medicare Advantage plans or people who do not have Medicare. Performance rates for this website generally reflect care provided to all U.S. adults with the exception of the 30-Day Risk Adjusted Death and Readmission measures that only include Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia.
Methodology
Hospital Compare displays the Survey of Patients’ Hospital Experiences, using data collected from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) Survey. The intent of the HCAHPS initiative is to provide a standardized survey instrument and data collection methodology for measuring patients' perspectives on hospital care.This website also displays Medicare inpatient hospital payment information and the number of Medicare patients treated (volume) for certain illnesses or diagnoses Medicare Severity-Diagnosis Related Groups (MS-DRG)- Opens in a new window Hospital Compare shows information for each hospital on selected MS-DRGs from October 2007 through September 2008.