A new research study found that after the introduction of the home health five-star ratings in 2016, the adjusted rates of high-quality home health agency use increased for all home health patients, except for Hispanic/Latine and Asian American/Pacific Islander patients. Disparities were also found in high-quality home health agency use between low-income and higher-income home health patients, again exacerbated after the introduction of the five-star quality ratings.

Predominantly Hispanic/Latine neighborhoods had a significant decrease in their use of high-quality home health agencies, whereas patients in predominantly White and integrated neighborhoods had a significant increase in high-quality home health agency use. Researchers flag for policymakers the potential unintended consequences for implementing home health public reporting, specifically for Hispanic/Latine, Asian American/Pacific Islander, and low-income home health patients, as well as patients residing in predominantly Hispanic/Latino neighborhoods.