Steven Russell, Brain Support Network’s treasurer, recently came across this New York Times article and summarized the key points and resources mentioned. Here’s his email…
The New York Times recently published an article on the importance of choosing the right hospital for various surgeries and other medical procedures. Obviously you don’t always have time to prepare when an emergency happens, but by researching outcomes (safety, efficacy, readmission rates) and consulting with your physician prior to hospitalization you can achieve better results just by driving a few miles to a hospital with higher service/safety scores.
Here are two key points:
#1. You don’t have to travel far to receive improved care and outcomes:
“To receive care at a hospital with a one-percentage-point gain in survival rate or a one-percentage-point decrease in readmission rate, a heart attack patient traveled 1.8 or 1.1 miles farther, respectively.”
#2. Beyond doing in-depth research with the links below, many patients should discuss hospital and clinical care services with their physician:
“Doctors are more attuned to clinical quality than patients can be, because patients lack the expertise and don’t engage with the health care system frequently enough to evaluate hospital quality.”
Three excellent resources mentioned in the article are:
Medicare/Medicaid compare hospital services tools
www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare/search.html
Hospital Inspections
www.hospitalinspections.org
California hospital information
www.calqualitycare.org
(Select Hospitals from the drop-down menu. There are other options you can research here: assisted living, adult day care, etc.)
Another resource I like (not mentioned in the article) is:
“A Guide to Choosing a Hospital”
From the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
www.medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/10181.pdf
Here’s a link to the complete article:
www.nytimes.com/2016/08/23/upshot/the-life-changing-magic-of-choosing-the-right-hospital.html
The Life-Changing Magic of Choosing the Right Hospital
The New York Times
Austin Frakt
August 22, 2016
Happy reading!
Steven Russell