CHOOSING A HOSPITAL

For much of this century, if you were seriously ill or needed an operation, you were hospitalized, often for a long time. Scientific discoveries and technological advances have dramatically changed how health care is delivered; hospital stays are shorter, and more and more surgical procedures are performed in outpatient or ambulatory settings.

Even though you may be healthy and don't expect to be hospitalized, an important part of family health care planning is finding a hospital that provides the best quality care and meets your needs and those of your family. Most family health insurance plans have hospitalization benefits. If you belong to a managed care plan, like an HMO or PPO, you probably have specific hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers where you are expected to receive your care. Whether you choose a hospital yourself or select one from your family health insurance plan network, the information in this guide will help you make an informed choice.

Types of Hospitals:

• General - Full range of services for medical conditions for which most people need treatment.
• Specialized - Concentration of services for a particular disease or condition, e.g. cancer, or type of patient, e.g. children.
• Teaching/Research - Trains doctors and other health professionals and conducts research in addition to treating patients. Usually affiliated with a medical school.
• Nonprofit - Community facility operated by religious group or other voluntary agency.
• Profit - Commercial or proprietary facility owned by a corporation or a group of physicians.

Questions to Ask:

• Does the hospital meet my needs and those of my family?
  - Your doctor has privileges to admit and treat patients at this hospital.
  - The hospital is in your family health insurance plan's network.
• Does the hospital meet quality standards?
  - Accreditation by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
  - A majority of the hospital's physician staff is board certified in their specialty.
  - Risk-adjusted mortality (death rate) and risk-adjusted complication rate are low compared to other hospitals.
  - It specializes in the type of treatment or procedure that I need and performs a high volume of these procedures. Medical research demonstrates there is a clear correlation between volume and quality.
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• Where can I get the quality information that I need to make my choice?
  - Two web sites provide hospital quality ratings by medical specialty: this data is important!
  - http://www.usnews.com/usnews/nycu/health/hosptl/tophosp.htm
  - http://www.healthgrades.com (risk-adjusted outcomes data by hospital and procedure)
  - Ask your doctor where he has admitting privileges; tell him where you'd like to be treated.
  - Ask the hospital to provide you with information that will help you with your choice.
• Is the hospital patient-focused?
  - The patient and his or her family are involved in family health care decisions.
  - Patient and family education programs are offered.
  - An ombudsman or patient representative is on the staff.
  - A discharge planning program provides for continuity of care after hospitalization.

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