Consumer Education on Quality of Care

The initial results for the starter set of 10 hospital quality measures were reported on the CMS Web site beginning in October 2003 for use by clinicians and other health-care professionals. Hospitals that volunteer to participate in the national voluntary reporting effort, the Connecticut special partnership, and the CMS Hospital 3-State Pilot are included in this data release. The 10 hospital quality measures have been reported for consumers on Hospital Compare on the Medicare Web site since early 2005. Results from the HCAHPS will be added once survey data are available. For the Premier Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration, the expanded set of 34 quality measures will be posted primarily for clinicians and other health-care professionals on the CMS Web site.

CMS will promote consumers' use of the hospital quality information through an integrated communications campaign including publication of the measures on our Web sites and grassroots outreach coordinated through Medicare's QIOs and other health-care information intermediaries. Consumers may also call 1-800-MEDICARE to obtain hospital quality information. Quality information from the national voluntary reporting effort, the Connecticut special partnership, and the CMS Hospital 3-State Pilot will be included in the communication campaign. QIOs will promote awareness, understanding and use of the quality measures by working with clinicians and intermediaries including primary care physicians, community organizations and the media.