How to Find the Best Hospital

There are also a number of states that offer some information on hospital quality but many of them, including New Jersey and Washington, simply use the Medicare data, presented in a different format. Others offer a lot more. California's Web site supplements the Medicare data with feedback from patients about their experiences as well as data on patient safety for 210 hospitals in the state.

The New York State Hospital Report Card provides indicators on mortality, patient safety and volume for a large number of procedures and conditions. You can either select hospitals based on region and procedure or you can view up to five facilities to compare on all procedures and conditions.

The site also offers patient feedback on quality of care, but only on 14 participating hospitals. An added convenience is links to other sites including some mention here in this article.

At New Hampshire's Web site you can find estimated costs based on claims data collected from insurance companies operating in the state. Select the tab for Health Costs by Procedure, scroll down and click on the middle button for Health Costs for Insured Patients. You can then narrow your search to preventative health procedures, emergency visits, radiology, surgical or maternity. Then you will be asked to enter your zip code, insurance carrier, plan type, deductible and co-insurance rate.

Results include a list of area hospitals, the estimated cost to you, the amount the insurer pays, and an accuracy level of the figures. I was very impressed with the simplicity of this resource and its availability to the public. If more states followed this lead in collecting the data directly from the insurers, it would be a great service to us all.