Public Reporting
Public reporting is the CMS practice of publishing home health agency quality data for anyone to see, primarily through the Care Compare website. Published data includes star ratings, OASIS-based outcome measures, claims-based measures, and HHCAHPS patient survey results. Because referral sources, health systems, and patients all consult this data, public reporting turns quality performance into a marketing asset or a liability.
What CMS publishes about your agency
Care Compare displays two headline star ratings: the Quality of Patient Care star rating, built from OASIS-based and claims-based measures, and the Patient Survey star rating, built from HHCAHPS results. Beneath the stars, visitors can see individual measure results, such as improvement in mobility and self-care, timely initiation of care, and hospitalization measures, alongside state and national averages. Basic agency information, including services offered and ownership, is published as well. The data refreshes quarterly, and each refresh reflects a performance period that ended months earlier, so today's public profile is a snapshot of past performance.
How your data gets there
Three pipelines feed public reporting. OASIS assessments submitted through iQIES drive the OASIS-based measures, Medicare claims drive the claims-based measures, and HHCAHPS surveys administered by an approved vendor drive the patient experience measures. Before each refresh, agencies can access preview reports showing what is about to be published. That preview window is the time to catch problems, because errors in the underlying OASIS data can only be fixed by correcting the assessments themselves. An agency that skips preview review finds out about a ratings drop at the same time its referral sources do.
Why public reporting matters for referrals
Hospital discharge planners and case managers routinely check star ratings when presenting agency options to patients, and e-referral platforms surface ratings directly in the referral workflow. Health systems and ACOs use publicly reported measures to build and prune preferred provider networks. Patients and families increasingly look too, especially when choosing among several agencies. A half-star difference rarely decides a single referral on its own, but a visibly weak profile gives a competitor an easy talking point and gives a narrowing network a reason to cut you.
How to manage your public profile
You cannot edit Care Compare directly, but you can manage what flows into it:
- Invest in OASIS accuracy, since assessment data drives most published measures
- Review preview reports every quarter and reconcile surprises before publication
- Track HHCAHPS drivers like communication and care coordination, not just the summary score
- Monitor competitors' public data to understand how referral sources see the market
- Brief marketing and liaison staff each refresh so they lead with current strengths
Frequently asked questions
How often is Care Compare updated?
Home health data on Care Compare refreshes quarterly. Each refresh reflects a look-back performance period, so the published numbers lag your current performance by several months to more than a year depending on the measure.
Can we correct data before it goes public?
You can review preview reports before each refresh and trace unexpected results back to their source. OASIS-driven measures can only change if the underlying assessments are corrected and resubmitted, so the durable fix is a QA process that catches accuracy problems before submission.
Do star ratings really affect referrals?
Yes, though indirectly. Discharge planners, e-referral platforms, and network managers all see the ratings, and a weak profile makes it harder to win preferred network spots or head-to-head referral decisions. Strong ratings do not sell themselves, but they remove an objection and give liaisons proof to point to.