Patients don’t always have a lot of control over who does or doesn’t provide them with care, especially in an emergency. However, it is possible to learn more about the hospitals near you and to consider choosing one based on the hospital’s reputation.
At the end of the day, you are a consumer, and you have the option of “consuming” only the services you are comfortable with. If you call 911 and need to go to the hospital, you can request a specific hospital. If that’s not possible, you can request to be moved later if you’re not satisfied with where you are.
Hospital transparency makes it easier to learn about their past performances
Hospitals are becoming more transparent, which means it is easier than ever to learn more about the services provided and the particular providers on the staff.
You can start reviewing the hospitals around you online. Look for internet ratings, which will give you a general idea of what people think about the hospital on the whole.
To do this, all you have to do is type in your zip code and “hospital ratings” to figure out which sites, either private or government-related, are rating hospitals near you.
What do you need to look at when you review the hospitals?
First, you want to look at patient satisfaction. Are patients happy with how they’re being treated? Are they walking away with knowledge about the next steps to take or are they happy about the pain management they received?
Another thing to look at is any health complications suffered after receiving treatments or as a result of not being treated. Is the hospital able to treat patients appropriately, or has it faced medical malpractice claims?
Some other things to look into include:
- Special awards that the hospital has been awarded for high-quality care.
- Readmission rates, which may signify that the issues patients have aren’t being handled correctly the first time.
- General treatment comments. Is the hospital treating problems like blood clots, heart attacks, pneumonia and other conditions well?
By looking this information up ahead of time, you can learn more about where you may want to get care and make better decisions about your health to avoid complications.
