Characterizing the Relationship Between Hospital Google Star Ratings, Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) Scores, and Quality

Google searches for hospitals typically yield a Google star rating (GSR). These ratings are an important source of information for consumers. The degree to which GSRs are associated with traditional quality measures has not been evaluated recently. We sought to characterize the relationship between a hospital’s GSR, its Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) quality measures. We found a moderate association between a hospital’s GSR and its HCAHPS score. The relationship between a hospital’s GSR and CMS quality measures was statistically significant, but the magnitude was quite low. Our findings suggest that consumers should not use GSRs as a hospital quality proxy.