About 7% of hospitals got the highest rating, 34% got the second-highest rating, and 19% got one of the two lowest possible scores in the CMS' new five-star ratings of more than 3,500 hospitals based on patient-satisfaction surveys.
The star ratings, posted on the CMS' Hospital Compare website April 16, are based on an average of hospitals' performance on 11 publicly reported measures from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey. The HCAHPS survey includes patient evaluations of the hospital staff responsiveness, care transitions, how well information about medications is communicated, and cleanliness and quietness of the facility. The inaugural ratings came from patient responses gathered between July 1, 2013, and June 30, 2014.