What the stars mean, where they come from, and how to use them.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rates every hospital in the country on a 1-to-5 star scale. This rating combines 47 individual quality measures into a single score so patients can compare hospitals at a glance.
Think of it like a restaurant rating — it gives you a quick read, but the details behind it matter. A 3-star hospital may be excellent in surgery but below average in patient experience.
CMS calculates the star rating from five categories, each weighted differently.
How often patients die within 30 days of being admitted for serious conditions like heart attacks, heart failure, and pneumonia.
How well the hospital prevents complications and infections during your stay — surgical site infections, blood clots, falls, and pressure injuries.
How often patients have to come back to the hospital within 30 days of being discharged. Lower readmission rates suggest better care coordination.
How patients rate their stay — communication with doctors and nurses, responsiveness of staff, cleanliness, noise levels, and discharge instructions.
Whether patients receive recommended care promptly — ER wait times, time to treatment, and whether evidence-based practices are followed.
HCAHPS is a standardized national survey that asks discharged patients about their hospital experience. It covers communication with nurses and doctors, responsiveness of staff, hospital cleanliness and noise, pain management, medication communication, and discharge information.
Every hospital uses the same questions, so scores are directly comparable. The survey is mailed to a random sample of patients 48 hours to 6 weeks after discharge.
Star ratings are a useful starting point, not the full picture. A few things to keep in mind:
Composite scores can hide variation. A hospital can be 5 stars overall but have below-average performance in the specific area that matters for your procedure. Always check the individual domain scores when possible.
Patient populations differ. Hospitals that serve more complex or socioeconomically disadvantaged patients may score lower on some measures — not because their clinical care is worse, but because outcomes are influenced by factors beyond the hospital’s control.
Data is historical. Star ratings are based on data that is typically 1-3 years old. A hospital that recently improved may not yet show it in its rating.
On Taco, you’ll see quality metrics alongside cost data. We label every metric with its source — whether it comes directly from CMS (verified data) or is estimated from regional patterns. Tap any quality metric to see where the number came from, what it means, and any caveats you should know about.
Search facilities with quality filters →Quality metrics are informational and sourced from CMS Hospital Compare. They do not constitute medical advice.