First-Time Users: What Can I Find? See 15 Sample Links on Cost, Quality, Ratings, Health & Choices
Primary Listings
Hospital Compare - hospitalcompare.hhs.gov (all states) - Hospital ratings, complications
Federal government compares hospital ratings for heart attack (AMI), heart failure, pneumonia and preventing surgery infections and other complications in 2012. Includes death rate comparisons (to 2011) from heart failure, heart attack, pneumonia (Medicare only), and Medicare readmission rates. Click on Process of Care measures (on left) to find percent of heart attack patients given PCI (such as stent or balloon angioplasty) within 90 minutes of arrival, or the right drugs within the expected timeframe. Shows patient satisfaction HCAHPS ratings. Editor's Pick because the government standardized its ratings for all hospitals, and most ratings are based on more than just Medicare patients. Small volume hospitals will not show data for some measures. Be sure to click on the tables and graphs
NCQA Health Insurance Plan Ratings and Report Card 2012
Compare quality ratings for HMOs and PPO health insurance plans. Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Cigna, Humana, Kaiser, United - they're all here. Star ratings shown for accredited commercial, Medicare and Medicaid plans. NCQA (National Committee for Quality Assurance) is a private nonprofit organization that sets standards for quality of care and service that health plans provide to their members. NCQA Accreditation is a nationally recognized seal of approval. Updated 2012
Nursing Home Compare (all states) www.medicare.gov 2012
Free 5-star ratings from Nursing Home Compare for nursing homes that are Medicare or Medicaid certified and provide skilled nursing care. Quality ratings, nursing staffing and CNA hours per resident day, and results from survey inspection reports are updated for 2012. If you cannot find the nursing home you're interested in, the facility might not accept Medicare and Medicaid patients. Check your state reports for additional information. Consumers can also ask the nursing facility to share their reports on resident and family satisfaction. Good nursing homes welcome your inquiry
Hospital Ratings at HealthGrades (all states) 2012
Hospital Ratings (5-star, 3-star, 1-star) for about 30 diseases & inpatient procedures: Stroke, back surgery, COPD, diabetes, gall bladder surgery (cholecystectomy), bowel obstruction, GI Bleed, hip fracture repair, total hip replacement, knee replacement, prostatectomy, respiratory failure, pneumonia, cardiac bypass, heart attack, heart failure, angioplasty/ stent, valve replacement, sepsis, pancreatitis, peripheral vascular bypass, transplants & more. Probably Medicare-only data for most conditions, although some states provide maternity, appendectomy, and bariatric surgery (gastric bypass) data. More extensive list than the federal government's site. Publicly-traded company. Most data in 2012 ratings are from Medicare patients, from 2008 to 2010; redesign and new ownership, methods are no longer clear
SafeMedication.com
Site by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Ability to search information on specific drugs, and check drug interactions
California - 2012 HMO, PPO, & Medical Group Ratings Report Card
Compare California HMO health insurance plans: Aetna Health, Anthem Blue Cross HMO, Blue Shield, CIGNA, Health Net, Kaiser Permanente Northern and Southern CA regions, United Healthcare (formerly PacifiCare) and Western Health Advantage. Compare PPOs: Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield, CIGNA, Health Net, United Healthcare. Clear, simple star system used for overall rating. In addition, get more details about member satisfaction, complaint rates, asthma, cancer screening, child/adolescent health, diabetes, heart care, maternity care, mental health, back pain, immunization, and smoking cessation. Medical group ratings also provided by county for the larger groups of doctors. Prepared by the California state Office of the Patient Advocate (OPA), using 2010 data
Florida Health Insurance Plans - Quality Ratings & Satisfaction
Member Satisfaction and quality ratings for cancer screening, diabetes, asthma, well child care for HMOs, PPOs, Medicare HMOs and more. Aetna, America's Health Choice, Amerigroup, Av-Med, Blue Cross Blue Shield (Health Options), Capital, CarePlus, Cigna, Citrus, DoctorCare, Florida Health Care, Freedom Health, Great-West, Health First, Healthy Palm Beaches, HealthEase & Well Care, Humana, Leon Medical Centers, Medica, Neighborhood, Optimum, PartnerCare, Preferred, Public Health Trust of Dade Co. (JMH), Quality Health, Total Health Choice, United Healthcare, Universal, Vista. Data collected in 2012. Search by county. No need to download a pdf to see the scores or the star rankings
Flu - Preventing Seasonal Flu (Influenza)
CDC's guide for preventing the flu, including who should get the flu shot, and how vaccination is the single best way to prevent the flu
Government Employee 2012 Health Insurance Cost and Ratings (FEHB)
A very interesting web site from US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) helps federal employees and others compare the benefits, member satisfaction, and employee costs of up to 4 health insurance plans at one time. Search by zip code; choose local plans and/or national plans. Very convenient and current. Dental premiums (click on left navigation list) are shown by a more complicated rating area code. Click on Health Insurance Premiums (on left) to see the amount that taxpayers and government institutions pay toward the total health care premiums
Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine - Online Physician Profiles
Massachusetts provides consolidated access to information about the education, training, board certification status, malpractice, discipline and criminal records (if any) of all licensed physicians. Both MD and DO (osteopathic doctors). Mass.gov site is easy to use
New York State Hospital Quality Ratings - nyhealth.gov
Select NY hospitals to compare in seven areas: Heart Attack care; Heart Failure care; Pneumonia; Surgical infection prevention; Adult CABG or Pediatric cardiac surgery mortality (death) rates; and Angioplasty mortality rates. Most data from 2009-2010; death rates from 2007. The search by procedure feature shows number of common inpatient surgeries like inpatient gall bladder removal, hip replacement or kidney transplants. Instead of side-by-side comparisons for current volumes, view individual hospital reports to see data. State Department of Health site. Able to search by region such as Long Island
Pennsylvania Hospital Performance Report 2009 | PHC4 (Sept. 2010)
Compare PA hospitals on Mortality Rating (relative survival rate), Average Charge (price), Length of Stay, and Readmissions. Thirty one (31) conditions in the pdf prepared reports include heart failure, abnormal heartbeat, heart attack, angioplasty and stent, pneumonia, stomach and intestinal bleeding, stroke, (laparoscopic & open) gallbladder removal, hip fracture, COPD, blood clots, colorectal procedures, diabetes, kidney failure, urinary tract infections, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, hysterectomy, septicemia, (radical and transurethral) prostatectomy, respiratory failure with & without mechanical ventilation, intestinal obstruction & carotid endarterectomy. Grouped by region. Use the Create your Own Report feature to access 20 additional conditions such as Brain surgery, medical back care, bronchitis & asthma, cirrhosis, liver disease, pancreatic cancer, stomach disorders, vascular procedures and more. Symbols for Mortality ratings can be confusing - a higher mortality rating means worse survival (we think). Contains helpful glossary for diagnoses & surgical procedures. Probably the most comprehensive report for hospital care in the country. Data from Oct. 1, 2008 to Sept. 30, 2009
Utah Maternity & Newborns: Compare 2008 Hospital Charges, Patient Safety, Volume
Hospital quality ratings for Utah maternity and newborn care cover vaginal delivery and Cesarean Section births. Hospital Patient Safety reports show UT hospitals who performed significantly better than expected for obstetric injuries to the mother's body, and birth injuries to newborns (2006 to 2008). Average 2008 charges (will soon be two years old, so add inflation): Typical Vaginal childbirth cost about $5222 statewide, up 9% from 2007; a c-section was about $8938; newborn care additional $1813 or more. (See specific hospital average prices.) Uses APR-DRGs. Earns Editor's Pick designation for its user-friendliness, willingness to tackle quality and charges in the same report, separately identifying complicated cases, and permitting viewing as html web pages, instead of requiring downloads of big reports. Does not show how many (if any) of the nearly 12,000 c-sections were elective under 39 weeks gestation. Report updated Dec. 2009 by Utah Dept. of Health
Vermont - 2012 Hospital Report Cards (Act 53)
Vermont calls these ratings Act 53 report cards, in honor of legislation passed in 2003, requiring VT hospitals to publish annual community reports about hospital quality, safety, financial health, costs for services and more. This government site links to all of the data, including outpatient prices. Health conditions include heart care, pneumonia, surgical infection prevention, central line associated bloodstream infection rates, hysterectomy infections, knee replacement and hip replacement infection rates, volume and death rates for resection of esophagus or of pancreas (usually for cancer), pediatric heart surgery, abdominal aneurysm repair (AAA), & more. This site earns Editor's Pick for putting Composite Quality Ratings, Survival Rate information, links to patient satisfaction and current medical prices all on the same same web page for easy access. Well done. Nurse staffing also available.
Wisconsin PricePoint - Outpatient & Ambulatory Surgery Cost
Compare outpatient and ambulatory surgery charges for colonoscopy (under Diagnostic), cataracts, ear surgery, cardiac catheterization, shoulder or knee surgery, carpal tunnel release (see Nerve), tonsil, appendix, breast biopsy, endoscopy, gallbladder, sterilization and more. Prices for tonsillectomy, laparoscopic appendectomy and ear tubes for kids are filed under C for Child. Shows one hospital or surgical center at a time, plus typical price in county and average 2011-2012 surgery prices in Wisconsin, excluding surgeon and other doctors' fees which may double the numbers you see here