Value Score

How It Works

The Value Score answers the question: "Am I getting good care for the money?" It combines three weighted factors: price percentile (40% weight, inverted — lower prices earn higher scores), CMS quality star rating (40% weight), and patient outcome measures including mortality and safety (20% weight). A hospital with an "A" grade offers high quality at below-average prices. A hospital with an "F" may be expensive with poor outcomes. The score is recalculated when CMS updates its quality and payment data. Unlike quality ratings alone, the Value Score captures the full picture of what patients are getting for their healthcare dollar.

Related Terms

• CMS Star Rating (Hospital Overall Rating) — A 1-to-5 star rating assigned by CMS to hospitals based on quality measures — covering mortality, safety, readmissions, patient experience, and timely care.
• Readmission Rate — The percentage of patients who return to the hospital within 30 days of discharge for the same or related condition — a key quality metric tracked by CMS.
• Mortality Rate (Hospital) — The rate of patient deaths within 30 days of hospital admission for specific conditions — risk-adjusted to account for differences in patient severity.