Beginning in June 2010, CMS will require hospitals to report on certain outpatient quality measures for its Hospital Compare Web site, Modern Healthcare reports.
The requirement corresponds to the agency's 2010 final rule for the outpatient prospective payment system.
The rule builds on CMS' Hospital Outpatient Quality Data Reporting Program, which invited hospitals to voluntarily submit performance data on 11 outpatient treatment measures. The measures included medications administered to surgical patients and the amount of time taken to transfer heart attack patients to other facilities.
The new rule will require hospitals to continue reporting on the same 11 measures. CMS also plans to implement a validation requirement to ensure accurate data reporting.
Hospitals that fail to comply with the new requirement could see their Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements decline by 2%.
Officials say the outpatient measures will give consumers a broader perspective on the quality of care available at certain hospitals.
The Hospital Compare site already includes data on inpatient measures such as mortality, patient satisfaction and readmissions (DerGurahian, Modern Healthcare, 11/16).