Consumers' Guide to Hospitals - Hospital Ratings and Advice

Hospital ratings by patients. Hospital ratings by doctors. Hospital ratings on providing recommended tests and procedures. Hospital ratings comparing death and adverse outcome rates for major types of cases. Hospital ratings on key safety measures. Not all hospitals are the same. Some have death rates 50 percent higher than others have for similar cases. Some hospitals are rated much higher than others by experts who have seen them from the inside and by their own patients. There is not only variation in how much goes wrong; hospitals also vary in how much goes superbly well. You will find hospitals ratings where you will feel confident that the care will be excellent. You will find other hospital ratings suggesting hospitals that you will want to avoid. Whichever hospital you choose, you and your family and friends will have to play an active role in ensuring that you get the best care the facility can offer. This book advises you on how to do that. Published by Consumers CHECKBOOK, a nonprofit consumer information organization that has been conducting highly respected evaluations and ratings of hospitals, ratings of doctors, and ratings of other health care organizations for more than 30 years, this book is the best available guide to a successful hospital stay.