A new Web site launched today, CalHospitalCompare.org, allows Californians to compare the performance of more than 200 hospitals statewide on a variety of useful quality measures from maternity services to cardiac treatment.
“Consumers need reliable, relevant information to help them make health care decisions for themselves and their families,” said Mark D. Smith, M.D., M.B.A., president and chief executive officer of the California HealthCare Foundation, which funded development of the new site. “CalHospitalCompare provides hospital performance ratings in an easy-to-read, understandable format.”
Fifteen states, including Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas, have developed hospital report cards in response to demands from the public and regulators for more transparency about health care quality, although none are as comprehensive as CalHospitalCompare. The site offers exclusive information on hospital performance, including measures on patient experience that are not included in other sites. The site was developed with input from consumer focus groups to ensure a clear, easy-to-understand format.
Source: California HealthCare Foundation
