Understanding Quality
More and more, consumers are researching hospitals and physicians before they decide where to seek care. However, it can be a confusing process.
Health care quality can be judged in a variety of ways. You can research the experience of physicians—their training, certifications and years in a specialized field of medicine. When evaluating hospitals, you can look at mortality (death) rates, patient satisfaction scores and other measures. You can also seek information from regulatory agencies and nonprofit groups that have developed their own indicators for judging hospital performance.
We encourage you to do your own research, get recommendations from your family doctor, and compare different hospitals and physicians before making a choice.
