(Washington, D.C. – July 29, 2016) The Physician Hospitals of America (PHA), the leading organization representing physician-owned hospitals (POHs) across the country, congratulates those hospitals with physician ownership who received high marks for their quality patient care in the new Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating program unveiled by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on July 27.
“We are very pleased that such a large number of our POHs received high marks from the new rating system,” said Dr. Blake Curd, PHA president. “There were only 102 hospitals in the nation that received five star ratings, and of that total 37 were POHs. That is a high number considering that POHs comprise only approximately 5% of participating hospitals.”
The results show that 83 - or approximately 52% - of the 159 eligible POHs received either 4- or 5-Star Ratings in the new program. By comparison, only approximately 27% of non-POHs received a 4- or 5-Star Rating. “These latest rankings, along with every previous study in the last five years, show POHs outrank their competitors by wide margins on quality and cost,” said Curd.
“Yet they are still banned by the government from expanding to meet the demand within their communities. Patients want high quality care. They want to be able to choose where they receive care. Patients are being turned away from these high-performing hospitals that are at capacity, forcing patients into lower quality facilities where they suffer from infections and even worse outcomes,” Curd added.
Under the Affordable Care Act, existing POHs were restricted from expansion and construction of any new POH facilities that treat Medicare and Medicaid patients. Citing multiple government quality ratings programs and academic studies that demonstrate POHs deliver high-quality, low-cost care and provide much-need competition in the healthcare marketplace, PHA and its industry partners continue to fight for relief from this onerous ACA-mandated moratorium.
The CMS star ratings will be updated each quarter. Currently 102 hospitals have five stars, 934 have four stars, 1,770 have three stars, 723 have two stars and 133 have one star.
About Physician Hospitals of America - PHA offers support, advocacy and educational services to the physician-owned hospital industry, reflecting at all times the best interests of patients, physicians and other providers who play an inextricable and essential role in the provision of healthcare services.
