Hospital Compare Preview Period ends February 9

January 26, 2010

Hospitals are reminded that the current preview period for the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA) and Reporting Hospital Quality Data for Annual Payment Update (RHQDAPU) programs will end February 9, 2010, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Preview Reports are available for participating hospitals and Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) only during the preview period. To access the reports, you must be registered as a QualityNet user and have been assigned the QIO Clinical Warehouse Feedback Report role.

During the preview period, hospitals may have the option to suppress some of the information contained in the reports from being publicly reported. To suppress data, hospitals must complete the Hospital Compare Request for Withholding Data from Public Reporting form and fax to their QIO Hospital Reporting Contact no later than the QIO’s close of business on February 9. A withholding request is applicable only for the current reporting period; therefore, HQA hospitals that suppressed data for one or more measures for December 2009 must submit a new form in order to continue suppression of the same measure(s).

Information contained in the Preview Reports is anticipated to be released to the Hospital Compare website in mid-March.

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