WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Reps. Jim Renacci (R-OH) and Kathleen Rice (D-NY) – members of the Bipartisan Working Group (BPWG) – announced they introduced the Hospital Quality Rating Transparency Act of 2016, H.R. 5927.

After Renacci and 224 other members sent a letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) urging for the delay of hospital ratings, Renacci and Rice introduced a bill to call for another delay until the methodology behind the ratings are revealed and the accuracy of the ratings are confirmed.

“We must ensure Americans are receiving the best information while deciding where and who is best to care for their health.  This commonsense, bipartisan piece of legislation verifies that the hospital rating system is not misleading to consumers because of flaws in the measures that underpin the ratings.  It is the job of the CMS to act in the best interest of Americans, and in this case be as transparent as possible,” Renacci said.

“As CMS attempted to create a new star rating system, it was only after Congressional pressure that they agreed to even look at the socioeconomic status of the populations various hospitals serve. And since the hospital community hasn’t seen a new proposal from CMS, I'm concerned that the new rating system could unfairly penalize certain hospitals that serve the sickest patients and most vulnerable populations – including many hospitals on Long Island, especially teaching hospitals that also work to train the next generation of physicians in our region,” said Rice. “I agree that patients should have accurate and complete information as they decide where to seek treatment, but we need to make sure that information accurately reflects the quality of care provided by a given hospital and takes all relevant factors into account.  That’s why we’re working to pass this bipartisan bill that will delay the implementation of the new rating system for one year, require CMS to make their methodology and data publicly available so that it can be independently certified, and establish a public comment period so that we have time to gather input from patients, health care providers, hospital officials and everyone who would be affected by the new system.”

Background:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has developed a plan to consolidate quality measure data reported on the Hospital Compare website into a five star ratings system to assess hospital quality.  These star ratings, which are set to appear on the Hospital Compare website later this month, aim to make it easier for consumers to use the information on the Hospital Compare website and to spotlight excellence in healthcare quality.

Renacci has represented the 16^th district of Ohio since 2011 and sits on the Ways and Means Committee and Budget Committee.

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