CMS Launches Dialysis Facility Compare Star Ratings

Recently, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) added star ratings to the Dialysis Facility Compare (DFC) website. These ratings summarize performance data, making it easier for consumers to use the information on the website. These ratings also spotlight excellence in health care quality. In addition to posting the star ratings, CMS updated data on individual DFC quality measures to reflect the most recent data for the existing measures.

�Star ratings are simple to understand and are an excellent resource for patients, their families, and caregivers to use when talking to doctors about health care choices,� said CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner. �CMS has taken another step in its continuous commitment to improve quality measures and transparency.�

DFC joined Nursing Home Compare and Physician Compare in expanding the use of star ratings on CMS websites. The DFC rating gives a one to five-star rating based on information about the quality of care and services that a dialysis facility provides. Currently, nine DFC quality measures are being used collectively to comprise the DFC star ratings. In the future, CMS will add more measures.

In related news, CMS plans to add the Standardized Readmission Ratio (SRR) for dialysis facilities to the publicly reported quality outcome measures available on the Compare website. SRR is a measure of care coordination. SRR is not included in DFC�s star rating at this time.

DFC quality measure data is either updated quarterly or annually. CMS plans to update the DFC�s star rating on an annual basis beginning in October 2015.

For more information on the DFC�s Star Rating Methodology, visit: http://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Fact-sheets/2015-Fact-sheets-items/2015-01-22.html
For more information on Dialysis Facility Compare, please visit: http://www.medicare.gov/dialysisfacilitycompare/#search.
Medicare.gov Blog,visit: http://blog.medicare.gov/2015/01/22/dfc/