The VA stopped sharing quality data because lawyers advised the agency it needed a new agreement with CMS on how to share information. Vendor contracts had to be reworked before a deal could be made, according to the report.
The two agencies reached an agreement Tuesday, which will take effect in October.
“We’re very pleased, and I know HHS is pleased, and I think this is going to be a boon for veterans and the American people,” Joe Francis, director of analytics and reporting at the Veterans Health Administration, told USA Today.
It is unclear if Hospital Compare will show data from July 1 to Sept. 30, the missing window of quality data.
To comply with the Choice Act of 2014, the VA will report not only on mortality and readmission rates — which it had been reporting since 2011 — but also on infection rates and other measures.
More articles on hospital quality:
Should readmission rates be used to measure hospital quality? New study casts doubts
Where is the next Detroit?: America’s surgical instrument quality epidemic
Mayo Clinic, radio station partner to pipe classical music into patient rooms
