Everything has a rating: restaurants, movie theaters, amusement parks. Everything! But, how does one rate something as drastic as the ability to save a life? Hospital ratings would seem to be on a much more important level than that of a delivery food order, but is it treated that way? What aspects are considered for hospital ratings? And do people actually agree that those ratings are a valid way to evaluate the patient experience?
There are many different types of hospital ratings, from Yelp to U.S. News Rankings, but one of the more official rating systems is known as the Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating, developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This is a federal system that covers NY hospitals.
The Quality Star Rating takes into account five major factors: mortality, safety, readmission, patient experience, and timely or effective care. The first four aspects all hold the same weight in the overall rating: 22%, while the last point only measures 12%.
The process for finding the statistics for these consist of a few steps. According to CMS, first, data collectors identify the main measures they need when identifying who will be included in the study and who will not. Everyone is then assigned to a group, and each group assigned one of the points. The statistics are calculated. This calculation is then weighted as an average. Finally, an algorithm categorizes the summary scores into star ratings. It’s a long, complicated process, but the result of it is what allows us to see where we can expect to find the best care.
For the most part, these ratings are meant for families to decide where they think they can get the best treatment. But, we have to consider: do hospital ratings actually reflect patient opinions?
A few people responded no. One mother, who did not want to be identified, has a daughter who periodically visits Elmhurst Hospital. The mother, speaking about her daughter’s care shared, “her experience at Elmhurst Hospital was much better than she expected. Everyone there was especially compassionate and made sure she was comfortable throughout her stay.” She added that factors such as how well doctors adapt their jargon, the communication across departments, and the consistency of care should also be considered when evaluating hospitals, rather than focusing mostly on outcomes.
Another patient, Olivia Liu, is a high school student who has visited a hospital only once in the past few months. She didn’t have much of an opinion about her experiences, as a result, but rather a concern about the system itself, particularly about the hospitals that are smaller compared to other large hospitals. She wondered if smaller hospitals might have a lower quality rating than what it actually should be due to not having as many resources to produce the best care possible. For example, they might have less staff or specialists available than if they were a well-known hospital, thus getting a reduced rating in certain aspects. If they are to be held at the same standard as more well-known hospitals, she argues, then the quality rating would be inaccurate.
Another high schooler, Jake Murphy, argued that ratings don’t always reflect the specific type of care a patient receives. Like Olivia, Jake was more concerned about whether one rating could be said for all groups rather than reflecting on his own experience: a short stay at one of his local hospitals a few years ago. He explained that a hospital can have strong overall scores, but this can still vary from department to department. For instance, they might have an excellent cardiology unit, but a shortstaffed emergency department. He felt that ratings should break down quality by specialty instead of overall, so patients can make more informed choices depending on their needs.
However, there are also those who disagree. “I think it’s pretty accurate,” one patient, Sophia Zhou, who has gone to hospital three times, says. “Hospitals with strong metrics usually provide strong experiences. And the things that they’re rated on, they’re all pretty good points.”
Another patient, Michael Huang, who has visited the hospital about two times, offered a slightly more cautious perspective: “I’ve only ever visited one or two hospitals, so there’s not much to compare them to. But based on my experiences, the care I received generally matched what I would expect from a hospital.” Two other people expressed similar thoughts through a survey conducted to gather opinions.
Overall, while some people believe hospital evaluations could take additional factors into account, others feel that current measures can still provide a reasonable sense of hospital quality.
Ultimately, though, it comes down to what patients value most in their care. While hospital ratings provide a useful starting point through highlighting measurable outcomes like safety and mortality, they can’t fully capture the human side of healthcare: communication, compassion, and trust. As a result, it is vital to pair these ratings with personal research and individual needs to make the most informed decision possible.
