We’re excited to share the topic and questions for this week’s #HITsm chat happening Friday, 5/10 at Noon ET (9 AM PT). This week’s chat will be hosted by Tom Martin (@CarePortHealth) on the topic of “Five-Star Healthcare Ratings Programs”.
Recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) released ratings following the organization’s changes to the Five-Star Rating program. The changes impact all three domains of the Five-Star program, the survey domain, staffing domain and most substantially, the quality domain. While these changes and results may reduce the number of stars a SNF (Skilled Nursing Facility) receives for the month of April and potentially moving forward, hospitals may want to adjust their expectations to align with the program changes. By using April’s ratings as a new baseline, they can observe their SNF partners’ performance over the next few months and then reassess.
During this week’s #HITsm chat, Tom Martin, director of post-acute care analytics at CarePort, will lead a discussion into the recent SNF Five-Star Rating program updates to explore how the health IT community views the changes. To expand beyond SNFs, Tom will expand the conversation around how the Five-Star program may impact hospitals and preferred provider networks.
Resources and References:
- Five-Star Quality Rating System
- SNF Five-Star Quality Rating System
- Nursing Home Compare datasets (post 5-Star Ratings Rulings)
- CMS Quality Measures
- Medicare Shared Savings Program SNF 3-Day Rule Waiver
Topics for this week’s #HITsm Chat:
T1: Over recent years, CMS has created and updated several different quality-focused programs for SNFs like the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program. Which change do you think will or has made the biggest impact on the quality of care? #HITsm
T2: With the recent Five-Star changes, what are some ways hospitals can ensure their post-acute network is keeping up with the standards of care? #HITsm
T3: How will all of the shifts impact patient care? Are we overlooking anything? #HITsm
T4: How can technology help streamline transparency around quality ratings? #HITsm
T5: As a follow up question, what methods do you anticipate or recommend – either with technology or general practice – health care organizations can use to address CMS’ quality score shifts? #HITsm
Bonus: What impact do you predict CMS’ quality measures and ratings will have on the health care system over the next year? #HITsm
Upcoming #HITsm Chat Schedule
5/17 – Awareness and Social Media Fundamentals for Patient Communities
Hosted by Amanda (@LALupusLady)
5/24 – TBD
Hosted by Sean Erreger, LCSW (@StuckonSW)
5/31 – Real-Time Messaging and Collaboration Tools Inside a Care Setting
Hosted by Greg Meyer (@Greg_Meyer93)
6/7 – TBD
Hosted by TBD
6/14 – TBD
Hosted by TBD
6/21 – TBD
Hosted by TBD
We look forward to learning from the #HITsm community! As always, let us know if you’d like to host a future #HITsm chat or if you know someone you think we should invite to host.
If you’re searching for the latest #HITsm chat, you can always find the latest #HITsm chat and schedule of chats here.
