Being an INFORMED PATIENT includes reviewing information on quality in addition to prices. The options listed below will assist you in learning about how hospitals meet quality standards and how your hospital compares on different quality measures.
Contact the HOSPITAL for information about their quality initiatives. You can use the Find A Provider Function to find a hospital’s web address and phone number.
U.S. Health and Human Services’s HospitalCompare web site (updated quarterly and allows direct comparisons of hospitals)
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations’ Quality Check (accreditation and comparative data)
Hospitals participate in a variety of quality improvement programs including the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s 5 Million Lives Campaign, The Leapfrog Group and many others.