Since 2016, CMS’ public reporting has included Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings to easily compare the quality of hospitals and health systems in the United States. Ahead of its 10th year of use, CMS announced new changes to the calculations of the ratings which seek to better capture the holistic quality of care provided at a facility. Make sure your organization puts its best foot forward by reviewing the star ratings updates below:
Broader Data Collection
Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings are calculated through an aggregate of a hospital’s performance among the following measurement groups:
- Mortality
- Safety of Care
- Readmission
- Patient Experience
- Timely & Effective Care
The Patient Experience measure was originally scored through inpatient CAHPS® (HCAHPS) dimensions. However, to paint a fuller picture of the healthcare experience, the star ratings will now factor OAS CAHPS measures into the Patient Experience calculation as well. This will require organizations to further prioritize all areas of patient care, optimizing both inpatient and outpatient perceptions to help patients or consumers evaluate their options for care.
Greater Emphasis on Safety
The overall star ratings updates place greater consequences on how an organization scores in the Safety of Care measurement group. Starting in 2026, CMS will place a ceiling on all hospitals scoring in the bottom quartile of safety that caps their star rating at a four-star maximum. This move reaffirms patient safety as integral to a hospital’s success, eliminating the possibility of any organization being able to rank as a five-star hospital through its scores in other measurement groups while lacking adequate safety performance.
Eligibility for overall star ratings also reflects the requirement of an effective culture of safety. Organizations must have enough data in at least three of the measurement groups—which must include either Mortality or Safety of Care—to receive an overall star rating calculation. According to CMS data, more hospitals trend positively in meeting the criteria for star rating calculation, with 350 hospitals newly eligible for star ratings compared to 38 hospitals losing eligibility ahead of April 2026 calculations.
How PRC Can Help
PRC has been a CMS-approved CAHPS vendor since the survey’s inception, receiving approval in all CAHPS studies (including HCAHPS & OAS CAHPS) to help our clients measure their patient experience across all disciplines. For patient safety measurement, PRC is also an AHRQ-approved vendor of their Surveys on Patient Safety Culture™ (SOPS®), not just administering the study but helping our clients understand their results and guide action planning efforts. We operate with an end-to-end philosophy to patient experience that prioritizes holistic insights to help organizations improve at every step of the patient journey, all with an eye towards driving excellence in every facet of the healthcare experience.
Contact our CAHPS and AHRQ teams to discuss opportunities to strengthen your patient experience and safety.
Sources & Further Reading:
CMS: Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating
Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings: April 2026 Refresh
PRC CAHPS Updates Subscription Form