Table 1.

Summary table of rating systems

	US News & World Report	Consumer Reports	Healthgrades	Hospital Compare
Database	MedPAR	MedPAR	MedPAR	CMS Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reporting System (CASPER)
	AHA annual survey	AHA		Medicare enrolment and claims
		State departments of health		Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey
Proprietary measure	Index of hospital quality	Safety score	Star ratings	N/A
Quality measures	Volume	Avoiding infections	30-day mortality	Timely and effective care
	Use of technology	Avoiding readmissions	180-day mortality	Patient satisfaction
	30-day mortality	Communication		Readmission
Quality measures	Patient safety	Appropriate use of scanning		Mortality
	Reputation survey	Avoiding complications		Complications
Ranks	Yes	Yes	No	No

MedPAR, Medicare provider analysis and review; AHA, American Hospital Association; CMS, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; N/A, not available.