title: Star Ratings show hospitals need to improve the discharge process.
abstract: For the first time, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is posting Star Ratings, showing patients' perception of care, on the Hospital Compare website. Ratings are based on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) and include individual scores on 12 composite measures based on the HCAHPS responses as well as state and national averages. A big gap between patients who reported receiving discharge instructions (86%) and those who said they understood what to do at home (52%) indicates that hospitals need to revise their discharge teaching and make sure patients understand their treatment plan. Case managers need to take the time to fully assess all patients--not just those going to post-acute facilities--to find out their living situations, their support systems, and their need for resources after they go home.
mesh_terms: D019090:Case Management / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000592:standards*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D058996:Quality Improvement; D014481:United States