Public Reporting of Patient Survival (Mortality) Data on the Dialysis Facility Compare Web Site

We studied Medicare's Dialysis Facility Compare (DFC) Web site, which publicly reports patient survival (mortality) data. We conducted qualitative research to evaluate how well patients and family members understand the patient survival data as it is currently explained and presented on DFC, and their view of its value. We also tested potential improvements using alternative language and display formats. Overall, participants responded positively to the patient survival data, indicating that publicly reporting this type of information has value for patients and family members. Participants could identify facilities with better performance but had difficulty understanding the statistical differences between patient survival ratings.