Hospital safety and quality information
The time to check out hospital safety and quality is before you check in to a hospital. One in 4 Medicare patients leave the hospital with a problem they didn't have when they walked in.
Here are some simple ways you can check which hospitals near you rate highest.
Check hospital quality ratings
The Hospital Quality Initiative, an effort led by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, has built an online tool called "Hospital Compare." It shows you how hospitals score on different kinds of common hospital stays, from emergency care for heart attacks to intensive care unit infections. All you need to do is enter your ZIP code.
Check hospital safety ratings
A million people are hurt each year in America's hospitals as a result of medical mistakes that are preventable. About 100,000 die as a result. That's why The Leapfrog Group created the Hospital Safety Grade safety ratings -- to help people choose hospitals with better safety records.