CMS released the 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D Star Ratings on October 8. About 71% of MA-PD enrollees are in contracts rated four stars or higher, but one result should catch home-care operators: the average score for follow-up after an emergency-department visit among people with multiple high-risk chronic conditions fell from 2.8 to 2.5 stars. CMS also added measures for concurrent opioid/benzodiazepine use and anticholinergic polypharmacy, while tripling the weight of physical- and mental-health outcome measures. These are plan ratings—not home-care provider scores.

DomAfina’s take: treat the weak follow-up score as a workflow warning. For every MA patient returning from the ED, verify medication changes, identify who owns the next appointment, notify the plan, and close the loop within 48 hours. Flag opioid/benzodiazepine combinations and anticholinergic burden for clinical review. A referral is not follow-up until someone can prove the handoff ended in care.

Source reviewed: CMS: 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D Star Ratings. The source supports the reported update; the operational recommendations are DomAfina’s analysis.