Psychiatric Hospital Inspections Must Go Public on CMS Website Starting in 2027

The Psychiatric Hospital Inspection Transparency Act of 2025 is a straightforward bill aimed at shedding light on mental health facility quality. Essentially, it forces psychiatric hospitals to play by the same public reporting rules as general hospitals. The core mandate is this: two years after the law passes, detailed results from hospital accreditation surveys must be posted publicly on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Care Compare website.

Putting Psychiatric Care Under the Microscope

Right now, if you’re trying to find a good psychiatric hospital for yourself or a family member, quality data can be tough to track down. This bill changes that by updating Section 1865 of the Social Security Act. It mandates that when an accreditation body inspects a psychiatric hospital, they must use a standardized form—the CMS-2567—just like they do for regular hospitals. This is a big deal because it standardizes the compliance reporting, making it easier to compare apples to apples.

For the average person, this means that starting around 2027, the CMS website—a place you might already use to compare nursing homes or general hospitals—will include inspection details for psychiatric facilities. Think of it as getting a mandatory, publicly available Yelp review, but written by professional inspectors. If a facility has issues with patient safety or staffing levels, that information will be accessible before you sign the admission papers.

The Privacy vs. Transparency Tightrope Walk

The bill understands that transparency can’t come at the expense of privacy, especially in mental health care. While the Secretary of Health and Human Services must post the survey details, they have to work with stakeholders—including the hospitals themselves—to figure out how to present the data so it’s understandable to consumers.

Crucially, the bill includes a strict firewall: the published information cannot identify any specific patient or any individual healthcare provider working at that facility. This is mandated by following the rules set under Section 264(c) of HIPAA. This is a necessary safeguard, ensuring that while the facility is held accountable, patient confidentiality and provider privacy remain protected. This balance is key, as it aims to increase public confidence without creating a chilling effect on those seeking care or those providing it.

What This Means for You

If you or someone you know ever needs psychiatric care, this bill empowers you with better data. Instead of relying on vague marketing materials, you will be able to check the official inspection reports for compliance and quality issues before making a choice. This puts pressure on psychiatric hospitals to maintain high standards, knowing that their performance will be publicly visible.

However, there is a potential challenge: the bill gives the Secretary two years to implement the plan and requires stakeholder consultation to define what information is “appropriate” to share. If the hospitals and accreditation groups push for a very narrow definition of “appropriate,” the public data might end up being less detailed than consumers hope for. While the intent is clearly beneficial—more accountability and better consumer choice—we’ll need to watch closely to ensure the final public reports are robust enough to truly drive quality improvement.