The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has launched a new online consumer directory of physicians and hospitals.
RWJF calls it "the nation's most comprehensive online directory for patients to find reliable information on the quality of healthcare provided in their communities."
According to RWJF, medical patients can scroll over a U.S. map and find Web-based resources to help them choose a doctor or hospital in their town based on whether patients received recommended tests and treatment, the outcomes of their care, their experience with providers, or the overall cost of care.
Comparing Health Care Quality: A National Directory is a map-based listing of health care "performance measurement" resources available across the country.
[See also: Thompson Reuters names top 10 U.S. health systems.]
The directory links to 197 free and publicly available reports in 46 states, as well as 27 reports with information on the performance of physicians and hospitals nationwide. There are no reports for Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho and Alabama, RWJF officials said.
"The directory is a place to go for people who want to research doctors and hospitals for themselves and others," said John R. Lumpkin, MD, senior vice president at RWJF. "Measuring the quality and cost of our healthcare and making it publicly available enables those who give, receive and pay for care to make the right choices for them, to improve healthcare and lower costs."
RWJF officials said the number of Web sites that compare healthcare quality is increasing, and a recent study found that 80 percent of Internet users look for health information online.
The RWJF site lists sites that offer information that is quantifiable and based on recognized national standards of how health care should be delivered, such as ensuring that patients receive the right preventative screenings or that patients with diabetes receive appropriate blood sugar tests, they said.
John Hickner, MD, chairman of the Department of Family Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, said the new RWJF site will encourage healthy competition among healthcare systems and physicians to improve their product.
[See also: HealthGrades defends its best hospital list.]
"People move around the country, and have relatives all over the country," said Jim Chase, president of Minnesota Community Measurement. "You have data in Minnesota but my mom lives in Iowa. So what can you tell me about the care there? This kind of tool is helpful for people to see what kind of information is available."
Vist the new RWJF site here.
Follow Diana Manos on Twitter @DManos_IT_News.