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CMS star rating program

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) uses a five-star quality rating system to measure the experiences Medicare beneficiaries have with their health plan and health care system — the star rating program. Health plans are rated on a scale of one to five stars, with five being the highest. These ratings are then published on the Medicare plan finder.

The star rating program is intended to:

  • Raise the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries
  • Strengthen beneficiary protections
  • Help consumers compare health plans more easily

Star ratings are based on more than 40 quality measures in the following five categories that provide an objective method for evaluating the quality of a health plan:

  • Staying healthy, including whether members received various screenings, tests, and vaccines
  • Managing chronic (long-term) conditions
  • Member satisfaction with Independence and their providers, including access to care
  • Member complaints and changes in Independence's performance
  • Customer service, including timely appeal decisions

Learn more about the CMS star rating program

Our CMS star rating program and our network providers guide includes more specific information about the CMS star rating program, including how better ratings benefit you and your Independence patients, what specific measures are considered in the ratings, and how those measures overlap with other Independence programs, surveys, and initiatives.

Independence Medical Directors are committed to working with you on improving the health of our members. If you have questions about this information or would like to know more about Independence and the star rating program, please contact your Network Medical Director. You can also learn more about the star rating program measures on the CMS website.