MA-PD Star Ratings Fall for the Second Consecutive Year

Payer anxieties about lower Star Ratings for the 2024 plan year came to fruition last week with CMS’s release of the annual Part C and Part D quality measurements. The average Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MA-PD) contract scored a 4.04, down from 4.14 last year and the lowest average rating since 2017. Just 31 contracts received 5 stars, representing 6.8% of current MA-PD enrollment, vs. 57 contracts serving 21.5% of enrollees last year.

Several methodology changes fueled the ratings decline, which Stars experts have dubbed “TukeyGate,” referring to CMS efforts to remove outliers from calculating the cut points for non-Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) measures. The agency also added two new Part C measures, one for care transitions and another for follow-ups after emergency visits for people with high-risk chronic conditions. A Part C measure on kidney disease monitoring for diabetes patients was removed.

© 2024 MMIT
Carina Belles

Carina Belles

Carina has been covering public-sector health care since 2018. As a data reporter for Radar on Medicare Advantage, she creates infographics and data stories on issues impacting Medicare, Medicaid and Part D. She also develops AIS Health Daily, a free daily newsletter that showcases AIS’s strong reporting across our four publications and parent company Norstella’s suite of market access and data solutions. Prior to joining the editorial team, she managed Medicare and Medicaid data for the Directory of Health Plans, AIS’s industry-standard health coverage database. She graduated from Ohio University with a B.S. in Journalism.

Related Posts

doctor-and-patient
July 6

With Addition of HEI to Stars, Clock Is Ticking for MAOs to Advance Health Equity

READ MORE
computers-and-hands
July 20

CMS Treats MA Plans to Suspension of Auto-Forward IRE Data in Stars Calculation

READ MORE
woman-with-paperwork
February 16

Seniors’ Plan Loyalty Wavers as Deft Saw 15% Medicare Advantage Switch Rate in 2023 AEP

READ MORE

GAIN THERAPEUTIC AREA-SPECIFIC INTEL TO DRIVE ACCESS FOR YOUR BRAND

Sign up for publications to get unmatched business intelligence delivered to your inbox.

subscribe today