I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5927 

To delay for one year the release of the Overall Hospital Quality Star 

Ratings, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 25, 2016 

Mr. RENACCI (for himself and Miss RICE of New York) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To delay for one year the release of the Overall Hospital 

Quality Star Ratings, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Hospital Quality Rat5 ing Transparency Act of 2016’’. 

6 SEC. 2. ONE-YEAR DELAY FOR RELEASE OF OVERALL HOS7 PITAL QUALITY STAR RATINGS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

9 Human Services, with respect to any Overall Hospital 

10 Quality Star Ratings for hospitals (such as ratings genVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 Aug 02, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5927.IH H5927

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1 erated by the rating system described in the Fact Sheet 

2 issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 

3 through the QualityNet Internet website entitled ‘‘Overall 

4 Hospital Quality Star Ratings Fact Sheet, July 2016 Pre5 view Period’’)— 

6 (1) shall make publicly available detailed infor7 mation on the methodology used to calculate such 

8 Ratings; 

9 (2) shall have the validity and accuracy of such 

10 methodology confirmed by an independent statisti11 cian not otherwise engaged by the Secretary in star 

12 ratings measure development activities; 

13 (3) shall provide, with respect to the ratings 

14 system that is to use such methodology and data to 

15 calculate such Ratings, a public comment period 

16 that— 

17 (A) begins on a date that is after the date 

18 on which the Secretary, under paragraph (1), 

19 makes publicly available the detailed informa20 tion described in such paragraph; and 

21 (B) is at least 60 days in duration; and 

22 (4) may not make such Ratings publicly avail23 able (such as by publishing on the Internet website 

24 commonly known as the ‘‘Hospital Compare’’ 

25 website) on a date that is before the latest of— 


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1 (A) the date on which the independent 

2 statistician described in paragraph (2) provides 

3 the confirmation described in such paragraph; 

4 (B) the date on which the public comment 

5 period described in paragraph (3) concludes; 

6 and 

7 (C) July 31, 2017. 

8 (b) APPLICATION IN CASE OF PUBLICATION BEFORE

9 ENACTMENT.—In the case that the Secretary publishes 

10 such Ratings on the Internet website commonly known as 

11 the ‘‘Hospital Compare’’ website on a date that is before 

12 the date of the enactment of this act, the Secretary shall 

13 apply subsection (a) by— 

14 (1) removing such Ratings from such Internet 

15 website as soon as is practicable; and 

16 (2) in accordance with subsection (a)(4), not re17 publishing after the date of the enactment of this 

18 Act any such Ratings on such Internet website or 

19 otherwise so making any such Ratings publicly avail20 able on a date that is before the latest of the dates 

21 described in subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of 

22 such subsection. 

Æ 


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