Hospital ranking systems vary widely
Individuals seeking hospital ratings are likely to get a wide range of information, depending on the site they use.
A study published in Health Affairs evaluated Consumer Reports, Healthgrades, U.S. News & World Report and The Leapfrog Group,No hospital earned top ratings from all of the sites, according to the findings. Of 844 hospitals that received a high rating from one site, just 10 percent earned top marks from another site. Meanwhile, 27 hospitals that received top ratings from one site received low marks from another.
The researchers noted that variation in definitions of quality could confuse consumers, who increasingly are comparison shopping for medical services. Plus, they said the different definitions could complicate hospitals' efforts to focus improvements.
Consumers need to understand the rating systems' different focuses and their limitations, according to study author Matthew Austin, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.