The number of agencies earning five stars in patient satisfaction saw a substantial drop for the first time in a year, according to the October 2018 refresh of Home Health Compare.
 
In October 2018, there were 845 agencies that earned five stars in HHCAHPS. That’s compared to 1,239 5-star HHCAHPS agencies in July 2018.
 
While there has been some variation over the past four quarters — there were 110 fewer 5-star agencies from April to July 2018 and nine fewer from January to April 2018 — overall the number had been fairly stable since the January 2018 refresh. The last time there were fewer than 1,000 agencies with five stars in HHCAHPS was October 2017 when 542 agencies earned the rank.
 
Unlike star ratings in quality of care, the patient satisfaction star ratings have previously fluctuated significantly each quarter.
 
5-star agencies in HHCAHPS
CMS data show 845 agencies nationwide earned five stars in the ratings system involving HHCAHPS, according to the ratings released Oct. 24 2018. That’s a decrease of 394 agencies from July 2018.
Star rating
Number of agencies, October 2018
Number of agencies, July 2018
Number of agencies, April 2018
Number of agencies, January 2018
5 stars
845
1,239
1,129
1,138
4 stars
2,091
2,275
2,385
2,088
3 stars
1,716
1,473
1,481
1,617
2 stars
846
629
552
678
1 star
130
66
84
147
No rating
5,810
5,876
5,972
6,010
Source: Home Health Compare