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Shopping for a Hospital
Care Choice Home Care • October 1, 2018
* Find a hospital known for a strong department in the area of your needs. If the procedure will be a hip replacement, focus on hospitals that excel in orthopedics. Better results occur when patients are treated in hospitals experienced with specific conditions.
* Talk with your primary physician as well as the doctor who will be performing the procedure. Discuss your concerns and alternatives. Some doctors are affiliated with multiple hospitals that you can choose from.
* If you haven’t selected a doctor, you can also choose the hospital first and let them help connect you with a physician.
* Check the hospital’s infection rate! This is a MUST-ask question. Deadly hospital infections are all-too-common so be sure to check the hospital’s infection rates and cleanliness procedures.
Here are resources that provide hospital safety and performance data that will be useful in your search:
* Consumer Reports Hospital Rankings (consumerreports.org/hospital rankings). There is a fee for $7 per month or $30 annually. It ranks 4,500 hospitals in all 50 states.
* Hospital Compare (medicare.gov/hospitalcompare). Free tool operated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services.
* U.S. News & World Report (usnews.com/best-hospitals). Identifies the best hospitals for 16 specialties.
* Healthgrades (healthgrades.com). This is a private, for-profit organization, providing free hospital rankings on safety and medical procedures.
* The Joint Commission (qualitycheck.org). Not-for-profit organization that accredits and certifies health care organizations and programs in the U.S. It does not identify if hospitals are stronger in one area over others.
* VA Hospital Compare (www.hospitalcompare.va.gov). Veterans can use this tool to compare VA medical centers throughout the U.S.