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Federal officials delayed the release of the ratings after the hospital industry and members of Congress objected to the formula, saying it worked against hospitals that take the patients that are the toughest to treat.
New research highlights the paradox in the federal program to improve hospital quality.
Bad coordination and communication can put patients at risk as they're discharged from a hospital.
A survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation finds a majority of Democrats think the law doesn’t go far enough.
The “overall hospital quality” rating is designed to help consumers who are sometimes confused by the variety of quality measures that the government already provides. But members of Congress had asked for the delay because of concerns that the methodology for the stars was not accurate.
Nearly half of academic medical centers will be penalized by the government this year for high rates of infections and other avoidable complications, but the hospitals say it shows they screen better for problems.
New Hampshire is expanding its website that lists the cost of specific medical procedures to include dental treatments and 65 prescription drugs. California is expanding its report cards on large medical groups to include cost of medical services by an average patient.
Although half of Americans favor the idea of a government health insurance system, the popularity drops significantly when negative arguments are presented, poll finds.
Medicare offers star ratings of agencies’ quality and of patients’ perceptions, but often they don’t match up.
The first set of measures focus on seven types of care, including for hearts and cancer. The metrics will be integrated into formulas that determine physicians’ pay.
Researchers found little difference in patient outcomes or satisfaction after placing restraints on medical residents’ working conditions in the past decade. Officials have previously sought to prevent inexperienced doctors from making mistakes caused by fatigue.
The survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that 71 percent of people with insurance believe their services are excellent or good.
More than half of these hospitals were also punished last year as the government tries to leverage taxpayer money to improve the quality of care.
The federal report estimates that 12 of every 100 hospital stays included an infection or other avoidable complication in 2014, about the same rate as 2013. Still, that was 17 lower than 2010.
A KHN analysis finds a sharp difference in premium prices between plans that offer out-of-network care and those that do not.
Federal officials say tax credits will blunt the impact of price increases in 2016 for most consumers buying the second-lowest silver health plan in 37 states.
Researchers looked at women’s health services around the country and found stark disparities between cities but also within health care markets.
The Government Accountability Office found bonuses and penalties have been small, and hospital performance has been steady.
The plan to include funding in the health law for these discussions between doctors and patients was vehemently opposed by some Republicans, but 8 of 10 Americans support the practice.
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