Testing Consumers' Comprehension of Quality Measures Using Alternative Reporting Formats.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has publicly reported nursing home quality measures since 2002, but research has shown that many users do not understand the measures. This article reports on efforts to develop and test seven alternative reporting templates to improve comprehension. Fewer than one-half of respondents accurately interpreted bar graphs. Respondents made fewest errors on templates using words to characterize performance as better, average, or worse.