Citing Hurricane Sandy, Hospitals Ask CMS for Relief From Quality Reporting

The American Hospital Association and hospital associations in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York are asking CMS to relieve hospitals touched by Hurricane Sandy from federal quality reporting requirements.

Here are some of the main recommendations the AHA, Connecticut Hospital Association, Healthcare Association of New York State and New Jersey Hospital Association recommended in their letter:

• CMS should suppress reporting readmission rates for storm-affected hospitals on Hospital Compare for the first two quarters of fiscal year 2013, Oct. 1, 2012, through March 31, 2013. The hospital groups said performance in this period is likely aberrant and should not be publicly reported. They also recommended that CMS annotate data on Hospital Compare to indicate nonreporting is due to the hurricane's effects.

• When calculating payment reductions in the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program, CMS should exclude discharges from storm-affected hospitals for the first two quarters of FY 2013.

• CMS should suppress reporting Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems scores for the first two quarters of FY 2013 on Hospital Compare for storm-affected hospitals that have submitted HCAHPS data. "While HCAHPS reporting in this time period was waived, those storm-affected hospitals that chose to resume reporting as quickly as they could have observed aberrantly lower scores. Hospitals should not be exposed to reputational damage for coping with disaster," the groups wrote.

• CMS should assess value-based purchasing scores for storm-affect hospitals for FYs 2014 and 2015 to determine whether they are lower than expected. If so, CMS should consider adjustments to scores, if necessary. Both fiscal years have performance periods that coincide with the onset and recover period of Hurricane Sandy.

More Articles on Hurricane Sandy and Hospitals:

Lessons Learned From Hurricane Sandy: 6 Steps Every Hospital Should Implement Before Disaster Strikes
Funds Distributed to Healthcare Employees for Hurricane Sandy Losses
99 Days After Hurricane Sandy, New York's Bellevue Hospital Reopens


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