Care Compare and Open Door Forums on Pause

• By: Maureen Carland
• On: 02/04/2025 08:16:07
• In: Quality/Regulatory

The scheduled January 29, 2025, update of the Five-Star Ratings on Care Compare has been delayed indefinitely, with no confirmed timeline for its release. This update was expected to unfreeze four key quality measures, incorporate more recent Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) staffing data from the third quarter of 2024, and include health inspection data—all of which influence Overall Five-Star ratings. The delay appears to be linked to a broader freeze on federal health agency reports and communications.  
The lack of communication from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has left many frustrated, as there is currently no broad public way to address rating changes that should have been reflected in the update. While Provider Preview Reports indicate how facilities should be rated, these reports remain inaccessible to the public.  
If the update is postponed until the next quarterly refresh on April 30, the four key measures will have remained frozen for a full year. This delay also affects a planned change in Five-Star staffing calculations that would have introduced penalties for facilities failing to submit accurate staffing data. Until further notice, providers are advised to rely on the preview reports and communicate expected rating changes proactively to their stakeholders.
In addition, CMS has announced that all Open Door Forums have been canceled for February.   

Staff Contact: Mcarland@mehca.org