We've all heard those horror stories of people that have died in hospitals following minor illnesses or simple procedures. Have you ever wondered about the performance of your hospital or the hospital of a loved one? As an example a hospital near our location has a terrible reputation. But, are more people actually dying there as a result of bad care - or is it just rumor and imagination?
For the first time, the public has access to the death rates at hospitals and you'd be surprised! Think of it as a hospital performance report. Until recently this information has been kept strictly confidential. Sounds rather odd, doesn't it? But, it's true. Hospitals didn't want you to know what was going on with their patients. After all, if you knew how many people were dying at any given hospital you and your friends and family just might not go there.
Think of it this way. If you went to a fast food place to get a hamburger and caught salmonella it would be on the front page of the newspaper and all over television. Consequently, people would not eat there until the problem was taken care of. But, if a hospital had a problem and people were dying.... hush, don't tell anybody.
Not any more! Now, you can go online and see for yourself just how your hospital compares to other hospitals in your area. Is your hospital killing you? Find out...
