Healthgrades, an independent source of physician information and hospital quality outcomes, recently released its 2011 Healthcare Consumerism and Hospital Quality in America report, which documented patient outcomes at almost 5,000 American hospitals. The report gave some interesting insight as to how patients are using the Internet to find physicians and gauge hospital quality.
But it also put the spotlight on numerous quality concerns that still exist throughout the nation’s hospitals. From gaps in mortality rates to procedures and diagnoses, the report was eye opening and offers some key takeaways concerning hospital quality.
[See also: Quality? Who cares about quality?.]
1. Serious gaps in quality still exist. According to the report, substantial gaps in quality are present in American hospitals. For example, a 5-star rated hospital’s patients had a 73 percent lower risk of dying when compared to patients at a 1-star rated hospital. The statistic is disconcerting, and according to the report, if all hospitals performed at a 5-star rated level, about 240,040 Medicare lives could have been saved throughout the past three years.
2. Patients prefer the Internet. The study noted patients are moving from searching disease and treatment-specific information to researching quality information via the Internet. So much so, that the number of users turning to the Web for quality information increased 47 percent when looking up a doctor and 38 percent when looking for a hospital. The statistics, gathered in 2010, show a 21 percent increase since 2003. Additionally, more than 10 million people research physician and hospital quality each month on HealthGrades.com.
[See also: Quality: The time is now.]
3. Patients are concerned: The report stated 80 percent are “very or somewhat” concerned about the quality of hospital care in their community. Nearly 94 percent said they would go out of their way to seek care at a higher-rated hospital. These empowered patients include those between the ages of 25 and 54, according to the report. About 93 percent of them have health insurance, 63 percent are female and 50 percent have household incomes greater than $75,000.
4. Easy access to quality information is key. The study included feedback from HealthGrades.com users, who made clear getting quick, easy access to physician and hospital quality information is extremely valuable. “…It was clear and easy to navigate,” said HealthGrades user Tina Domney. “[It] provided contact, education, [hospital] affiliations and other information that was very useful.” George Cabrera, another fan of finding quality information via the Web, added, “Having a voice, and using it fairly, is a unique opportunity.”
The survey listed the top cities for patients researching healthcare on the Web. To view the full list of cities, click to the next page.
In ranking order, the top cities for patients researching healthcare on the Web, according to HealthGrades, are:
Washington
New York
Kansas City, Mo.
Seattle - Tacoma, Wash.
Boston
Philadelphia
Gainesville, Fla.
Dallas - Ft. Worth, Texas
Atlanta
Baltimore
Chicago
Hartford - New Haven, Conn.
Rochester, N.Y.
Syracuse, N.Y.
Austin, Texas
Providence, R.I.
Albany, N.Y.
Denver
Cincinnati
Richmond, Va.
Tampa - St. Petersburg, Fla.
Miami - Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
San Francisco - Oakland, Calif.
Pittsburgh
St. Louis
Columbus, Ohio
Oklahoma City, Okla.
Louisville, Ky.
Indianapolis
Phoenix - Prescott, Ariz.
Nashville, Tenn.
Peoria, Ill.
Detroit
Ft. Meyers, Fla.
Montgomery - Selma, Ala.
Santa Barbara, Calif.
Lancaster, Pa.
Cleveland
Portland, Maine
Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
Baton Rouge, La.
Houston
Eugene, Ore.
Portland, Ore,
Omaha, Neb.
West Palm Beach, Fla.
San Diego
Columbia, S.C.
Champaign - Springfield, Ill.
Jackson, Miss.
Follow Michelle McNickle on Twitter: @Michelle_writes