Comparing Public Quality Ratings for Accredited and Nonaccredited Home Health Agencies

This was a descriptive study comparing 1,582 accredited and 10,008 nonaccredited home health agencies over a 3-year period using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Home Health Compare data set. Metrics included the star rating and 22 quality measures. A longitudinal model was used to determine differences between accredited and nonaccredited organizations on the quality measures. Categorical differences in star ratings and risk-adjusted outcome categories were analyzed using a chi-square test. Accredited agencies had statistically higher star ratings than nonaccredited organizations (3.4 vs. 3.2, p < .001), and they were more likely to be categorized 4, 4.5, and 5 star organizations (p < .001). Absolute differences between accredited and nonaccredited agencies on the OASIS quality measures were generally small but consistently favored accredited facilities over all 3 years studied (p < .05).