**HOSPITAL QUALITY MODEL REPORT: Composites**

**SPONSOR HOME PAGE**

*This page would be the normal home page of whatever group is releasing
the report in a particular state or community. The group might be, for
example, the State Health Department. The page would have a direct link
to the **Report Home Page**. We are thinking about using the following
language to introduce the Report. Note that throughout this document we
will refer to the entire template as "the Report" but it is presumed
that the name of the report will be chosen by the sponsor.*

**Announcing!**

(sponsor name) is proud to introduce a new tool to help the people and
hospitals of (insert location) learn about and improve the quality of
health care in our (community/state). The Report provides information
that lets you compare how well our hospitals perform when they take care
of patients with a wide range of health problems.

Whether you are choosing a hospital for yourself or a loved one, or just
want to see where a particular hospital performs well and how it might
improve its care, take advantage of this new resource. **[Go to Report
Home Page]{.underline}** *Note: this can be a "tab" on the website in
addition to having a link here*

National experts in medicine and hospital quality, led by the federal
government's lead agency for health care quality, provided the building
blocks for this tool. They identified the most readily available
information that can give an accurate picture of the quality and safety
of care at different hospitals. **[Click here to get Technical Details
about the Quality Information in the Report]{.underline}** *Note: this
can be a "tab" on the website in addition to having a link here*

They also asked people like you if this was information they would like
to have, and their answer was "yes!"

# We hope you find this tool valuable. If you have questions, or want to share your feedback on the tool, please email us at [(insert email address or provide link to feedback form]{.underline}). 

# 

+-----------+----------+-----------+----------+----------+-----------+
| # [       | #        | #         | # [Thin  | #        | # [Ot     |
| Compare H |  [What i | [How shou | gs to Ke | [Technic | her Resou |
| ospital S | s Hospit | ld you us | ep in Mi | al Detai | rces]{.un |
| cores]{.u | al Quali | e this Re | nd]{.und | ls]{.und | derline}  |
| nderline} | ty?]{.un | port?]{.u | erline}  | erline}  |           |
|           | derline} | nderline} |          |          |           |
+-----------+----------+-----------+----------+----------+-----------+

# 

# Report on Hospital Quality in \[*community/state*\]

Quality in health care, including in hospitals, can be described as
"doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right way \-- and
having the best possible results."

This report provides information on how well all the hospitals in
\[*community/state*\] care for patients with a wide range of health
problems. It can:

-   help you choose a hospital for yourself,

-   provide useful information for your loved ones if they need hospital
    care,

-   encourage hospitals to improve their quality, and

-   help everyone learn more about hospital quality.

**Why should you look at this information?**

Don't people get good care in any hospital their doctor recommends? Here
are the facts:

-   All hospitals do not provide the same quality of care. Some
    hospitals are better than others.

-   A particular hospital might do a very good job on some health
    problems and not such a good job on other health problems.

-   Whenever anyone goes to the hospital, they risk getting a new health
    problem while getting medical care for an existing problem.
    Hospitals vary in how well they protect patients from these risks.

-   Your doctor, or the specialist or surgeon he or she recommends, may
    be highly skilled, but hospital quality also depends on how well all
    the hospital staff, such as the nurses, take care of you, and on how
    well the hospital is organized.

Given those facts, our goal is to give you information you can use to
increase your chances of getting the best possible hospital care when
you need it.

# What Information is available in the Report? 

There are two types of information provided in this Report:

-   how often patients had medical complications while in the hospital,
    and

-   how often patients died while in the hospital for certain health
    conditions and operations

This information is provided about \[X\] hospitals. By looking at this
information, you will be able to compare which hospitals have the
**fewest** **number of deaths and complications**.

There are many ways to judge hospital quality. We are reporting this
information because experience shows it is accurate, easily available
for most hospitals from their administrative records, and of interest to
members of the public.

**[Click here to start comparing hospitals' results]{.underline}**

**Step One: Choose one or more hospitals to compare**

We have information on how well (insert number) hospitals performed.

*Sponsors: This is where you set up a search function through which
users will be able to enter information, such as a zip code or
city/state, and then view a list of hospitals in your area that are
included in the report.*

**[Click here to go to Step Two: Select which scores you want to
see]{.underline}**

# Step Two: Select overall scores 

Each of these overall scores reflects a hospital's performance on a
number of more specific topics listed below. Once you view the results
for the overall score, you can then choose to see the results for these
more specific topics. All of the information refers to adult patients,
with the exception of "Overall score for medical complications for
children."

**Please check the boxes next to each overall score you want to see.**

You can return to this page and pick another overall score to look at
whenever you like, using the tabs on the (top/left).

**Select All of the Overall Scores**

**□ Overall score for hospital patients having operations.** This score
is based on how often patients died after having the following
operations:

## CABG (Coronary artery bypass graft) 

-   PTCA (Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty)

-   Operation to remove part or all of the esophagus

-   Operation to remove part or all of the pancreas

-   Operation to remove blockage in arteries to the brain

## Brain surgery

## Hip replacement surgery

-   Surgical repair of an aortic aneurysm

**□ Overall score for hospital patients admitted with particular health
conditions.** This score is based on how often patients died after being
admitted to the hospital for the following health conditions:

-   Heart Attack

-   Congestive heart failure

-   Pneumonia

-   Stroke

-   Broken hip (hip fracture)

-   GI (stomach or intestinal) bleeding

**□ Overall score for medical complications, for adults.** This score is
based on how often adult patients experience the following twelve
complications, either after an operation or as a result of other care
provided in the hospital:

-   Bed sores

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Leaking air from the lung because it was accidentally punctured
    during a medical procedure

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Infections due to medical care

-   Hip fracture after an operation

-   Too much bleeding or clots after an operation

-   Abnormal changes in body function after an operation

-   Breathing failure after an operation

-   Blood clots in the lung or large vein after an operation

-   Bloodstream infection following an operation

-   Splitting open of a surgical wound after an operation on the stomach
    or pelvic area

-   Accidental cuts and tears

> **□ Overall score for medical complications, for children.** This
> score is based on how often children under the age of 18 experienced
> the following seven complications in the hospital, either after an
> operation or as a result of other care provided by the hospital:

-   Bed sores

-   Leaking air from the lung because it was accidentally punctured
    during a medical procedure

-   Infections due to medical care

-   Too much bleeding or blood clots after an operation

-   Breathing failure after an operation

-   Bloodstream infection following an operation

-   Splitting open of a surgical wound after an operation on the stomach
    or pelvic area

-   Accidental cuts and tears

**Compare Hospital Scores**

**Compare the Results of Hospital's Overall Scores**

When you are choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that
does **Better than average** on the topics that are most important to
you, or on as many items as possible.

**Click on the [overall score name]{.underline} to see detailed results
of how each hospital performed.**

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **Each hospital's score is compared to the average scores of          |
| hospitals across the state.**                                         |
|                                                                       |
| Average is about the same as the average score of hospitals across    |
| the state.                                                            |
|                                                                       |
| **Better than average** is better than the average score of hospitals |
| across the state.                                                     |
|                                                                       |
| **Worse than average** is worse than the average score of hospitals   |
| across the state.                                                     |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+--------------------------+---------+---------+----------+---------+
| **Overall Scores**       | **H     | **H     | **       | **H     |
|                          | ospital | ospital | Hospital | ospital |
|                          | A**     | B**     | C**      | D**     |
+--------------------------+---------+---------+----------+---------+
| **[Overall score for     | Average | **      | *        | **B     |
| hospital patients having |         | Worse** | *Worse** | etter** |
| o                        |         |         |          |         |
| perations]{.underline}** |         | **than  | **than   | **than  |
|                          |         | av      | a        | av      |
|                          |         | erage** | verage** | erage** |
+--------------------------+---------+---------+----------+---------+
| **[Overall score for     | **B     | **B     | *        | **B     |
| hospital patients        | etter** | etter** | *Worse** | etter** |
| admitted with particular |         |         |          |         |
| health                   | **than  | **than  | **than   | **than  |
| c                        | av      | av      | a        | av      |
| onditions]{.underline}** | erage** | erage** | verage** | erage** |
+--------------------------+---------+---------+----------+---------+
| ## **Over                | **B     | **      | Average  | Average |
| all score for medical co | etter** | Worse** |          |         |
| mplications for adults** |         |         |          |         |
|                          | **than  | **than  |          |         |
|                          | av      | av      |          |         |
|                          | erage** | erage** |          |         |
+--------------------------+---------+---------+----------+---------+
| ## **Overal              | **      | **      | **       | **B     |
| l score for medical comp | Worse** | Worse** | Better** | etter** |
| lications for children** |         |         |          |         |
|                          | **than  | **than  | **than   | **than  |
|                          | av      | av      | a        | av      |
|                          | erage** | erage** | verage** | erage** |
+--------------------------+---------+---------+----------+---------+

##### **Overall score for hospital patients having operations**

This graph shows overall scores based on how often patients died in each
hospital after having the following eight different operations:

-   CABG (Coronary artery bypass graft)

-   PTCA (Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty)

-   Operation to remove part or all of the esophagus

-   Operation to remove part or all of the pancreas

-   Operation to remove blockage in arteries to the brain

-   Brain surgery

-   Hip replacement surgery

-   Surgical repair of an aortic aneurysm

When choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that has a
**[lower]{.underline}** score. A lower score is shown by a
**[shorter]{.underline}** bar on the graph below. In particular, look
for a score that is **[1.0 or less.]{.underline}** This information is
for patients admitted during \[insert year\].

![](media/image1.wmf){width="5.3125in" height="3.6875in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average score for
hospital patients having operations in the hospitals across your state.
This number is included so you have a better idea of what is typical for
your state.

**What do these scores mean?**

Even in the best hospital, some patients will die after having each of
these operations. The scores in this report are calculated by comparing
the number of deaths expected in a particular hospital, (based on how
many operations they do and how old and sick their patients are) and how
many patients actually died. An overall score of 2.0 means that twice as
many patients died as expected. An overall score of .5 means that half
as many patients died as expected.

**[Click here to see results for each of the specific operations listed
above]{.underline}**

**Overall score for hospital patients admitted with particular health
conditions**

This score is based on how often patients died in the hospital after
being admitted with particular health conditions. These patients did not
have an operation. This score is based on the results for the following
six health conditions:

-   Heart attack

-   Congestive heart failure

-   Pneumonia

-   Stroke

-   Broken hip (hip fracture)

-   GI (stomach or intestinal) bleeding

When choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that has a
**[lower]{.underline}** score. A lower score is shown by a
**[shorter]{.underline}** bar on the graph below. In particular, look
for a score that is **[1.0 or less.]{.underline}** This information is
for patients admitted during \[insert year\].

![](media/image2.wmf){width="5.322916666666667in"
height="3.6979166666666665in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average score for
patients admitted to the hospital with particular health conditions in
the hospitals across your state. This number is included so you have a
better idea of what is typical for your state.

**What do these scores mean?**

Even in the best hospital, some patients will die after having each of
these operations. The scores in this report are calculated by comparing
the number of deaths expected in a particular hospital, (based on the
number of operations they do or patients they see and how old and sick
their patients are) and how many patients actually died. An overall
score of 2.0 means that twice as many patients died as expected. An
overall score of .5 means that half as many patients died as expected.

**[Click here to see results for each of the specific operations listed
above]{.underline}**

**Overall score for medical complications, for adults**

This score is based on how often adult patients experienced the
following eleven complications, either after an operation or as a result
of other care provided in the hospital:

-   Bed sores

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Leaking air from the lung because it was accidentally punctured
    during a medical procedure

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Infections due to medical care

-   Hip fracture after an operation

-   Too much bleeding or blood clots after an operation

-   Abnormal changes in body function after an operation

-   Breathing failure after an operation

-   Blood clots in the lung or large vein, after an operation

-   Infection following an operation

-   Splitting open of a surgical wound after an operation on the stomach
    or pelvic area

-   Accidental cuts and tears

When choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that has a
**[lower]{.underline}** score. A lower score is shown by a
**[shorter]{.underline}** bar on the graph below. In particular, look
for a score that is **[1.0 or less.]{.underline}** This information is
for patients admitted during \[insert year\].

![](media/image3.wmf){width="5.333333333333333in"
height="3.7083333333333335in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average score for medical
complications in adult patients in the hospitals across your state. This
number is included so you have a better idea of what is typical for your
state.

**What do these scores mean?**

Even in the best hospital, some patients will experience complications
either after an operation or as a result of other care. The scores in
this report are calculated by comparing the number of complications
expected in a particular hospital (based on the number of operations
they do or patients they see and how old and sick their patients are)
and how many patients actually experienced complications. An overall
score of 2.0 means that twice as many patients experienced complications
as expected. An overall score of 0.5 means that half as many patients
experience complications as expected

**[Click here to see results for each of the specific complications
listed above]{.underline}**

**Overall score for medical complications, for children**

This score is based on how often children under 18 experienced the
following eight complications, either after an operation or as a result
of other care provided in the hospital:

-   Bed sores

-   Complication in which air leaks out of a lung because someone
    accidentally punctured it during a medical procedure, [in children
    under 18 except newborns]{.underline}

-   Infections due to medical care

-   Too much bleeding or clots after an operation

-   Breathing failure after an operation

-   Infection following an operation

-   Splitting open of a surgical wound after an operation on the stomach
    or pelvic area

-   Accidental cuts and tears

When choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that has a
**[lower]{.underline}** score. A lower score is shown by a
**[shorter]{.underline}** bar on the graph below. In particular, look
for a score that is **[1.0 or less.]{.underline}** This information is
for patients admitted during \[insert year\].

![](media/image4.wmf){width="5.333333333333333in"
height="3.7083333333333335in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average score for medical
complications in child patients in the hospitals across your state. This
number is included so you have a better idea of what is typical for your
state.

**What do these scores mean?**

Even in the best hospital, some patients will experience complications
either after an operation or as a result of other care.  The scores in
this report are calculated by comparing the number of complications
expected in a particular hospital (based on the number of operations
they do or patients they see and how old and sick their patients are)
and how many patients actually experienced complications.  An overall
score of 2.0 means that twice as many patients experienced complications
as expected.  An overall score of 0.5 means that half as many patients
experience complications as expected

**[Click here to see results for each of the specific complications
listed above]{.underline}**

**Specific topics about patients having an operation**

Information is available in the Report about the death rates of hospital
patients who have eight different kinds of operation.

**Please check the box next to each topic you care about.**

You can return to this page and pick another topic whenever you like,
using the tabs on the (top/left).

**Select All**

**□ Death rate for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)**

> How often patients died in the hospital after an operation (called a
> *coronary artery bypass graft*, or CABG), which is designed to provide
> a way around clogged arteries in the heart.

**□ Death rate for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty
(PTCA)**

> How often patients died in the hospital after a procedure (called a
> *percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty*, or PTCA) in which
> clogged arteries of the heart are opened up, and then kept open using
> wire mesh tubes or "stents."

**□ Death rate for operations to remove part or all of the esophagus**

> How often patients died in the hospital after an operation (called an
> *esophageal resection*) to remove part or all of their esophagus,
> which is the tube leading from the throat to the stomach.

**□ Death rate for operations to remove part or all of the pancreas**

> How often patients died in the hospital after an operation (called a
> *pancreatic resection*) to remove part or all of their pancreas, which
> is a digestive organ.

**□ Death rate for operations to remove blockage in arteries to the
brain**

> How often patients died in the hospital after an operation (called a
> *carotid endarterectomy*) to remove blockage in the arteries leading
> to the brain.

**□ Death rate for brain surgery**

> How often patients died in the hospital following brain surgery
> (called a *craniotomy*).

**□ Death rate for hip replacement surgery**

> How often patients died in the hospital after an operation to replace
> a bad hip.

**□ Death rate for surgical repair of an aortic aneurysm**

> How often patients died in the hospital after an operation (called an
> *abdominal aortic aneurysm repair*) to repair an enlarged blood vessel
> supplying blood to the lower half of the body

**Compare Hospital Scores**

**Compare Hospital Scores for Patients Having an Operation**

When you are choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that
does **Better than average** on the topics that are most important to
you, or on as many items as possible.

**Click on the [topic name]{.underline} to see detail results of how
each hospital performed.**

+--------------+-------------------------------------------------------+
| **Death      | **Each hospital's rate is compared to the average     |
| rate** is    | rate of hospitals across the state.** The state       |
| the percent  | average is provided beneath the name of the           |
| of patients  | individual topic.                                     |
| who had a    |                                                       |
| particular   | Average is about the same as the average rate of      |
| operation    | hospitals across the state.                           |
| who died     |                                                       |
| while in     | **Better than average** is better than the average    |
| each         | rate of hospitals across the state.                   |
| hospital     |                                                       |
| during       | **Worse than average** is worse than the average rate |
| \[insert     | of hospitals across the state..                       |
| year\].      |                                                       |
+--------------+-------------------------------------------------------+

+--------------------------+---------+---------+----------+---------+
| **Operations**           | ####    | **H     | **       | **H     |
|                          | ### Hos | ospital | Hospital | ospital |
|                          | pital A | B**     | C**      | D**     |
+==========================+=========+=========+==========+=========+
| [Death rate for CABG     | Average | **B     | *        | **B     |
| (coronary artery bypass  |         | etter** | *Worse** | etter** |
| graft)]{.underline}      |         |         |          |         |
|                          |         | **than  | **Than   | **than  |
| The average rate of      |         | av      | a        | av      |
| death for hospitals      |         | erage** | verage** | erage** |
| across the state is      |         |         |          |         |
| **[3]{.underline}** for  |         |         |          |         |
| every **100**            |         |         |          |         |
| operations.              |         |         |          |         |
+--------------------------+---------+---------+----------+---------+
| [Death rate for PTCA     | **B     | **      | **       | **B     |
| (percutaneous            | etter** | Worse** | Better** | etter** |
| transluminal coronary    |         |         |          |         |
| a                        | **than  | **than  | **than   | **than  |
| ngioplasty)]{.underline} | av      | av      | a        | av      |
|                          | erage** | erage** | verage** | erage** |
| The average rate of      |         |         |          |         |
| death for hospitals      |         |         |          |         |
| across the state is      |         |         |          |         |
| **[10]{.underline}** for |         |         |          |         |
| every **1,000**          |         |         |          |         |
| operations.              |         |         |          |         |
+--------------------------+---------+---------+----------+---------+
| [Death rate for          | **B     | **      | **       | **B     |
| operations to remove     | etter** | Worse** | Better** | etter** |
| part or all of the       |         |         |          |         |
| esophagus]{.underline}   | **than  | **than  | **than   | **than  |
|                          | av      | av      | a        | av      |
| The average rate of      | erage** | erage** | verage** | erage** |
| death for hospitals      |         |         |          |         |
| across the state is      |         |         |          |         |
| **[3]{.underline}** for  |         |         |          |         |
| every **100**            |         |         |          |         |
| operations.              |         |         |          |         |
+--------------------------+---------+---------+----------+---------+
| [Death rate for          | Average | **      | **       | **B     |
| operations to remove     |         | Worse** | Better** | etter** |
| part or all of the       |         |         |          |         |
| pancreas]{.underline}    |         | **than  | **than   | **than  |
|                          |         | av      | a        | av      |
| The average rate of      |         | erage** | verage** | erage** |
| death for hospitals      |         |         |          |         |
| across the state is      |         |         |          |         |
| **[7]{.underline}** for  |         |         |          |         |
| every **100**            |         |         |          |         |
| operations.              |         |         |          |         |
+--------------------------+---------+---------+----------+---------+
| [Death rate for          | **B     | **      | *        | **      |
| operations to remove     | etter** | Worse** | *Worse** | Worse** |
| blockage in arteries to  |         |         |          |         |
| the brain]{.underline}   | **than  | **than  | **Than   | **than  |
|                          | av      | av      | a        | av      |
| The average rate of      | erage** | erage** | verage** | erage** |
| death for hospitals      |         |         |          |         |
| across the state is      |         |         |          |         |
| **[7]{.underline}** for  |         |         |          |         |
| every **1,000**          |         |         |          |         |
| operations.              |         |         |          |         |
+--------------------------+---------+---------+----------+---------+
| ## Deat                  | Average | **B     | *        | **      |
| h rate for brain surgery |         | etter** | *Worse** | Worse** |
|                          |         |         |          |         |
| The average rate of      |         | **than  | **than   | **than  |
| death for hospitals      |         | av      | a        | av      |
| across the state is      |         | erage** | verage** | erage** |
| **[6]{.underline}** for  |         |         |          |         |
| every **100**            |         |         |          |         |
| operations.              |         |         |          |         |
+--------------------------+---------+---------+----------+---------+
| ## Death rate for        | **B     | **      | *        | **B     |
|  hip replacement surgery | etter** | Worse** | *Worse** | etter** |
|                          |         |         |          |         |
| The average rate of      | **than  | **than  | **Than   | **than  |
| death for hospitals      | av      | av      | a        | av      |
| across the state is      | erage** | erage** | verage** | erage** |
| **[3]{.underline}** for  |         |         |          |         |
| every **1,000**          |         |         |          |         |
| operations.              |         |         |          |         |
+--------------------------+---------+---------+----------+---------+
| [Death rate for surgical | **B     | **      | **       | **B     |
| repair of an aortic      | etter** | Worse** | Better** | etter** |
| aneurysm]{.underline}    |         |         |          |         |
|                          | **than  | **than  | **than   | **than  |
| The average rate of      | av      | av      | a        | av      |
| death for hospitals      | erage** | erage** | verage** | erage** |
| across the state is      |         |         |          |         |
| **[10]{.underline}** for |         |         |          |         |
| every **100**            |         |         |          |         |
| operations.              |         |         |          |         |
+--------------------------+---------+---------+----------+---------+

**Death rate** **for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)**

This graph shows you the percent of patients who died following an
operation called a coronary artery bypass graft, or CABG - designed to
restore the natural flow of blood in the heart. This information is for
patients admitted during \[insert year\].

When you are choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that
has a **[lower]{.underline}** number of deaths. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image5.wmf){width="5.354166666666667in"
height="3.7291666666666665in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
who died following this operation in hospitals across your state. This
number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Death rate for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)**

This graph shows you the percent of patients who died following a
procedure called a percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, or
PTCA, in which clogged arteries of the heart are opened up, and then
kept open using wire mesh tubes or "stents." This information is for
patients admitted during \[insert year\].

When you are choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that
has a **[lower]{.underline}** number of deaths. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image6.wmf){width="5.354166666666667in"
height="3.7291666666666665in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
who died after this procedure in hospitals across your state. This
number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Death rate for an operation to remove part or all of the esophagus**

This graph shows you the percent of patients who died following an
operation (called an *esophageal resection*) to remove part or all of
their esophagus, which is the tube leading from the throat to the
stomach. This information is for patients admitted during \[insert
year\].

When you are choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that
has a **[lower]{.underline}** number of deaths. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image7.wmf){width="5.364583333333333in"
height="3.7395833333333335in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
who died in the hospital following an operation to remove part or all of
the esophagus, across your state. This number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Death rate for an operation to remove part or all of the pancreas**

This graph shows you the percent of patients who died following an
operation (called a *pancreatic resection*) to remove part or all of
their pancreas, which is a digestive organ. This information is for
patients admitted during \[insert year\].

When you are choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that
has a **[lower]{.underline}** number of deaths. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image8.wmf){width="5.375in" height="3.75in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
who died in the hospital following an operation to remove part or all of
the pancreas, across your state. This number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Death rate for an operation to remove blockage in arteries to the
brain**

This graph shows you the percent of patients who died after an operation
(called a *carotid endarterectomy*) to remove blockage in the arteries
leading to the brain. This information is for patients admitted during
\[insert year\].

When you are choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that
has a **[lower]{.underline}** number of deaths. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image9.wmf){width="5.322916666666667in"
height="3.6979166666666665in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
who died after this operation in hospitals across your state. This
number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Death rate for brain surgery**

This graph shows you the percent of patients who died after brain
surgery (called a *craniotomy*). This information is for patients
admitted during \[insert year\].

When you are choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that
has a **[lower]{.underline}** number of deaths for this operation. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image10.wmf){width="5.34375in" height="3.71875in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
who died in the hospital after brain surgery, across your state. This
number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Death rate for hip replacement surgery**

This graph shows you the percent of patients who died after surgery to
replace a bad hip. This is a fairly common operation that is not usually
complicated. Death rates should be extremely low. This information is
for patients admitted during \[insert year\].

When choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that has a
[**lower**]{.underline} number of deaths. A **[lower]{.underline}**
number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}** bar on the graph below.

![](media/image11.wmf){width="5.375in" height="3.75in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
who died in the hospital after hip replacement surgery, across your
state. This number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Death rate for surgical repair of an aortic aneurysm**

This graph shows you the percent of patients in the hospital who died
following an operation to repair an enlarged artery supplying blood to
the lower half of the body (called an *abdominal aortic aneurysm
repair*). This information is for patients admitted during \[insert
year\].

When choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that has a
**[lower]{.underline}** number of deaths. A **[lower]{.underline}**
number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}** bar on the graph below.

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
who died in the hospital after surgical repair of an aortic aneurysm,
across your state. This number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Specific topics for hospital patients with particular health
conditions**

Information is available in the Report about the death rates of hospital
patients who were hospitalized for six different health problems.

**Please check the box next to each topic you care about.**

You can return to this page and pick another topic whenever you like,
using the tabs on the (top/left).

**Select All**

**□ Death rate for heart attack patients**

> Deaths in the hospital of patients who came in because they had a
> heart attack (which is called an *acute myocardial infarction*).

**□ Death rate for patients with congestive heart failure**

> Deaths in the hospital of patients who came in because they had heart
> failure (which is called *congestive hearth failure*).

**□ Death rate for pneumonia patients**

Deaths in the hospital of patients who came in because they had
pneumonia.

**□ Death rate for stroke patients**

> Deaths in the hospital of patients who came in because they had
> stroke.

**□ Death rate for patients with a broken hip**

> Deaths in the hospital of patients who came in because they had a
> broken hip.

**□ Death rate for patients with GI (gastrointestinal) bleeding**

> Deaths in the hospital of patients who came in because they had heavy
> bleeding into their stomach or intestines (which is called
> *gastrointestinal bleeding*).

**Compare Hospital Scores**

**Compare hospital scores for particular health conditions**

When you are choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that
does **Better than average** on the topics that are most important to
you, or on as many items as possible.

**Click on the [topic name]{.underline} to see detailed results on how
each hospital performed.**

+-----------------+----------------------------------------------------+
| **Death rate**  | **Each hospital's rate is compared to the average  |
| is the percent  | rate of hospitals across the state.** The state    |
| of patients who | average is provided beneath the name of the        |
| were treated    | individual topic.                                  |
| for a           |                                                    |
| particular      | Average is about the same as the average rate of   |
| illness who     | hospitals across the state.                        |
| died while in   |                                                    |
| each hospital   | **Better than average** is better than the average |
| during \[insert | rate of hospitals across the state.                |
| year\].         |                                                    |
|                 | **Worse than average** is worse than the average   |
|                 | rate of hospitals across the state.                |
+-----------------+----------------------------------------------------+

+---------------------------+---+---------+---+---------+---+---------+---+---------+
| #### Health Conditions    | * |         | * |         | * |         | * |         |
|                           | * |         | * |         | * |         | * |         |
|                           | H |         | H |         | H |         | H |         |
|                           | o |         | o |         | o |         | o |         |
|                           | s |         | s |         | s |         | s |         |
|                           | p |         | p |         | p |         | p |         |
|                           | i |         | i |         | i |         | i |         |
|                           | t |         | t |         | t |         | t |         |
|                           | a |         | a |         | a |         | a |         |
|                           | l |         | l |         | l |         | l |         |
|                           | A |         | B |         | C |         | D |         |
|                           | * |         | * |         | * |         | * |         |
|                           | * |         | * |         | * |         | * |         |
+---------------------------+---+---------+---+---------+---+---------+---+---------+
| [Death rate for heart     | * |         | A |         | * |         | * |         |
| attack                    | * |         | v |         | * |         | * |         |
| patients]{.underline}     | B |         | e |         | W |         | B |         |
|                           | e |         | r |         | o |         | e |         |
| The average rate of death | t |         | a |         | r |         | t |         |
| for hospitals across the  | t |         | g |         | s |         | t |         |
| state is                  | e |         | e |         | e |         | e |         |
| **[9]{.underline}** for   | r |         |   |         | * |         | r |         |
| every **100** patients.   | * |         |   |         | * |         | * |         |
|                           | * |         |   |         |   |         | * |         |
|                           |   |         |   |         | * |         |   |         |
|                           | * |         |   |         | * |         | * |         |
|                           | * |         |   |         | t |         | * |         |
|                           | T |         |   |         | h |         | t |         |
|                           | h |         |   |         | a |         | h |         |
|                           | a |         |   |         | n |         | a |         |
|                           | n |         |   |         | a |         | n |         |
|                           | a |         |   |         | v |         | a |         |
|                           | v |         |   |         | e |         | v |         |
|                           | e |         |   |         | r |         | e |         |
|                           | r |         |   |         | a |         | r |         |
|                           | a |         |   |         | g |         | a |         |
|                           | g |         |   |         | e |         | g |         |
|                           | e |         |   |         | * |         | e |         |
|                           | * |         |   |         | * |         | * |         |
|                           | * |         |   |         |   |         | * |         |
+---------------------------+---+---------+---+---------+---+---------+---+---------+
| [Death rate for patients  | * |         | * |         | A |         | * |         |
| with congestive heart     | * |         | * |         | v |         | * |         |
| failure]{.underline}      | B |         | W |         | e |         | B |         |
|                           | e |         | o |         | r |         | e |         |
| The average rate of death | t |         | r |         | a |         | t |         |
| for hospitals across the  | t |         | s |         | g |         | t |         |
| state is                  | e |         | e |         | e |         | e |         |
| **[4]{.underline}** for   | r |         | * |         |   |         | r |         |
| every **100** patients.   | * |         | * |         |   |         | * |         |
|                           | * |         |   |         |   |         | * |         |
|                           |   |         | * |         |   |         |   |         |
|                           | * |         | * |         |   |         | * |         |
|                           | * |         | T |         |   |         | * |         |
|                           | T |         | h |         |   |         | t |         |
|                           | h |         | a |         |   |         | h |         |
|                           | a |         | n |         |   |         | a |         |
|                           | n |         | a |         |   |         | n |         |
|                           | a |         | v |         |   |         | a |         |
|                           | v |         | e |         |   |         | v |         |
|                           | e |         | r |         |   |         | e |         |
|                           | r |         | a |         |   |         | r |         |
|                           | a |         | g |         |   |         | a |         |
|                           | g |         | e |         |   |         | g |         |
|                           | e |         | * |         |   |         | e |         |
|                           | * |         | * |         |   |         | * |         |
|                           | * |         |   |         |   |         | * |         |
+---------------------------+---+---------+---+---------+---+---------+---+---------+
| [Death rate for pneumonia |   | **B     |   | **      |   | Average |   | **B     |
| patients]{.underline}     |   | etter** |   | Worse** |   |         |   | etter** |
|                           |   |         |   |         |   |         |   |         |
| The average rate of death |   | **than  |   | **than  |   |         |   | **than  |
| for hospitals across the  |   | av      |   | av      |   |         |   | av      |
| state is                  |   | erage** |   | erage** |   |         |   | erage** |
| **[8]{.underline}** for   |   |         |   |         |   |         |   |         |
| every **100** patients.   |   |         |   |         |   |         |   |         |
+---------------------------+---+---------+---+---------+---+---------+---+---------+
| [Death rate for stroke    |   | **B     |   | Average |   | **      |   | **B     |
| patients]{.underline}     |   | etter** |   |         |   | Worse** |   | etter** |
|                           |   |         |   |         |   |         |   |         |
| The average rate of death |   | **than  |   |         |   | **than  |   | **than  |
| for hospitals across the  |   | av      |   |         |   | av      |   | av      |
| state is                  |   | erage** |   |         |   | erage** |   | erage** |
| **[10]{.underline}** for  |   |         |   |         |   |         |   |         |
| every **100** patients.   |   |         |   |         |   |         |   |         |
+---------------------------+---+---------+---+---------+---+---------+---+---------+
| [Death rate for patients  |   | **B     |   | **      |   | Average |   | Average |
| with a broken             |   | etter** |   | Worse** |   |         |   |         |
| hip]{.underline}          |   |         |   |         |   |         |   |         |
|                           |   | **than  |   | **than  |   |         |   |         |
| The average rate of death |   | av      |   | av      |   |         |   |         |
| for hospitals across the  |   | erage** |   | erage** |   |         |   |         |
| state is                  |   |         |   |         |   |         |   |         |
| **[3]{.underline}** for   |   |         |   |         |   |         |   |         |
| every **100** patients.   |   |         |   |         |   |         |   |         |
+---------------------------+---+---------+---+---------+---+---------+---+---------+
| [Death rate for patients  |   | Average |   | **B     |   | **      |   | **      |
| with GI                   |   |         |   | etter** |   | Worse** |   | Worse** |
| (gastrointestinal)        |   |         |   |         |   |         |   |         |
| bleeding]{.underline}     |   |         |   | **than  |   | **than  |   | **than  |
|                           |   |         |   | av      |   | av      |   | av      |
| The average rate of death |   |         |   | erage** |   | erage** |   | erage** |
| for hospitals across the  |   |         |   |         |   |         |   |         |
| state is                  |   |         |   |         |   |         |   |         |
| **[3]{.underline}** for   |   |         |   |         |   |         |   |         |
| every **100** patients.   |   |         |   |         |   |         |   |         |
+---------------------------+---+---------+---+---------+---+---------+---+---------+

**Death rate for heart attack patients**

This graph shows you the percent of patients admitted to each hospital
because they had a heart attack (called an *acute myocardial
infarction*), who died during their hospital stay. This information is
for patients admitted during \[insert year\].

When you are choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that
has a **[lower]{.underline}** number of deaths. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image12.wmf){width="5.354166666666667in"
height="3.7291666666666665in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
who died in the hospital after having a heart attack, in hospitals
across your state. This number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Death rate of patients with congestive heart failure**

This graph shows you the percent of patients who were admitted to a
hospital because they had heart failure (called *congestive heart
failure*), who died during their hospital stay. This information is for
patients admitted during \[insert year\].

When you are choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that
has a **[lower]{.underline}** number of deaths. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image13.wmf){width="5.354166666666667in"
height="3.7291666666666665in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
who died after being admitted because they had heart failure in
hospitals across your state. This number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Death rate for pneumonia patients**

This graph shows you the percent of patients admitted to a hospital
because they had pneumonia, who died during their hospital stay. This
information is for patients who were admitted during \[insert year\].

When choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that has a
**[lower]{.underline}** number for this condition. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image14.wmf){width="5.354166666666667in"
height="3.7291666666666665in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
with pneumonia who died in hospitals across your state. This number is
included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

# Death rate for stroke patients

This graph shows you the percent of patients who died after being
admitted to the hospital because they had a stroke. This information is
for patients admitted during \[insert year\].

When you are choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that
has a **[lower]{.underline}** number of deaths. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image15.wmf){width="5.333333333333333in"
height="3.7083333333333335in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
who died after being admitted because they had a stroke, in hospitals
across your state. This number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Death rate for patients with a broken hip**

This graph shows you the percent of patients who died in the hospital,
who came in with a broken hip (hip fracture). This information is for
patients admitted during \[insert year\].

Deaths due to a broken hip are very rare. When choosing a hospital, you
should look for the hospital with a **[lower]{.underline}** number for
this condition. A **[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a
**[shorter]{.underline}** bar on the graph below.

![](media/image16.wmf){width="5.364583333333333in"
height="3.7395833333333335in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
who died after being admitted with a broken hip, in hospitals across
your state. This number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Death rate for patients with GI bleeding**

This graph shows you the percent of patients who died after being
admitted to the hospital because of bleeding into their stomach or
intestines (which is called *gastrointestinal, or GI, bleeding*). This
information is for patients admitted during \[insert year\].

When choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that has a
**[lower]{.underline}** rate of deaths for this condition. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image17.wmf){width="5.354166666666667in"
height="3.7291666666666665in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
who died after being admitted with GI bleeding, in hospitals across your
state. This number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Specific topics for medical complications, for adults**

Information is available in the Report about 11 topics that show how
often **adult** hospital patients experienced serious health problems as
a result of their stay. These complications can be serious, even fatal.
Each of them can often be potentially prevented if steps are taken to
make care safer.

**Please check the box next to each topic you care about.**

You can return to this page and pick another topic whenever you like,
using the tabs on the (top/left).

**Select All**

-   **Rate of patients with bed sores**

> How often patients developed a bed sore (called a *decubitus ulcer*),
> which is a sore or wound on the skin. This can occur because people
> are lying in one position for too long.

-   **Rate of patients having air leaking out of their lung**

> How often air leaks out of the patient's lung because someone
> accidentally punctured it as a result of a medical procedure or
> operation (a complication which is called *iatrogenic pneumothorax)*.

-   **Rate of infections due to medical care**

> How often patients got certain types of infections as a result of the
> care they received in the hospital.

-   **Rate of hip fracture after an operation**

> How often hospital patients broke a hip bone from a fall following any
> kind of operation.

-   **Rate of too much bleeding or blood clots after an operation**

> How often patients bled too much (called *hemorrhaging*) or developed
> a large blood clot after an operation (which is called a *hematoma*).

-   **Rate of abnormal changes in body functions after an operation**

> How often hospital patients experienced problems with blood sugar
> control (if they have diabetes) or kidney failure (if they did not
> have previous kidney trouble) after having an operation (these
> problems are called *postoperative physiologic and metabolic
> derangements)*.

-   **Rate of breathing failure after an operation**

> How often patients became unable to breathe on their own following an
> operation, and needed a ventilator, which is a machine that helps
> someone breathe, at least temporarily (which is called *postoperative
> respiratory failure*).

-   **Rate of blood clots in the lung or a large vein after an
    operation**

> How often hospital patients developed a blood clot in the lungs (which
> is called a *pulmonary embolism*) or in a large vein (which is called
> *deep vein thrombosis*), after an operation.

-   **Rate of bloodstream infection following an operation**

> How often hospital patients got a serious bloodstream infection
> following an operation (which is called *postoperative sepsis*).

-   **Rate of splitting open of a surgical wound after an operation on
    the stomach or pelvis**

> How often a surgical wound in the stomach or pelvic area split open
> after an operation (which is called *postoperative wound dehiscence*).

-   **Rate of accidental cuts and tears**

> How often a patient is accidentally cut or injured, making a hole or
> tear in an organ of the body, while receiving medical care (which
> called *accidental puncture and laceration*).

**Compare Hospital Scores**

**Compare hospital scores for medical complications, for adults**

When you are choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that
does **Better than average** on the topics that are most important to
you, or on as many items as possible.

**Click on the [topic name]{.underline} to see detail results of how
each hospital performed.**

+-----------------------+----------------------------------------------+
| **Rate** is the       | **Each hospital's rate is compared to the    |
| percent of patients   | average rate of hospitals across the         |
| who experienced a     | state.** This state average is provided      |
| particular problem    | beneath the name of the individual topic.    |
| during their hospital |                                              |
| stay during \[insert  | Average is about the same as the average     |
| year\].               | rate of hospitals across the state.          |
|                       |                                              |
| **Death rate** is the | **Better than average** is better than the   |
| percent of patients   | average rate of hospitals across the state.  |
| who died while in     |                                              |
| each hospital during  | **Worse than average** is worse than the     |
| \[insert year\] as a  | average rate of hospitals across the state.  |
| result of a serious   |                                              |
| complication that     |                                              |
| could have been       |                                              |
| prevented.            |                                              |
+-----------------------+----------------------------------------------+

+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| **Medical Complications, | **       | **       | **       | **       |
| Adults**                 | Hospital | Hospital | Hospital | Hospital |
|                          | A**      | B**      | C**      | D**      |
+==========================+==========+==========+==========+==========+
| [Rate of patients with   | **       | Average  | *        | **       |
| bed sores]{.underline}   | Better** |          | *Worse** | Better** |
|                          |          |          |          |          |
| The average rate for     | **than   |          | **than   | **than   |
| hospitals across the     | a        |          | a        | a        |
| state is                 | verage** |          | verage** | verage** |
| **[3]{.underline}** for  |          |          |          |          |
| every **100** patients.  |          |          |          |          |
+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| [Rate of patients having | Average  | **       | *        | *        |
| air leaking out of the   |          | Better** | *Worse** | *Worse** |
| lung]{.underline}        |          |          |          |          |
|                          |          | **than   | **than   | **than   |
| The average rate for     |          | a        | a        | a        |
| hospitals across the     |          | verage** | verage** | verage** |
| state is                 |          |          |          |          |
| **[9]{.underline}** for  |          |          |          |          |
| every **10,000**         |          |          |          |          |
| patients.                |          |          |          |          |
+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| [Rate of infections due  | **       | *        | **       | **       |
| to medical               | Better** | *Worse** | Better** | Better** |
| care]{.underline}        |          |          |          |          |
|                          | **than   | **than   | **than   | **than   |
| The average rate for     | a        | a        | a        | a        |
| hospitals across the     | verage** | verage** | verage** | verage** |
| state is                 |          |          |          |          |
| **[3]{.underline}** for  |          |          |          |          |
| every **1,000**          |          |          |          |          |
| patients.                |          |          |          |          |
+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| [Rate of hip fracture    | **       | *        | Average  | Average  |
| after an                 | Better** | *Worse** |          |          |
| operation]{.underline}   |          |          |          |          |
|                          | **than   | **than   |          |          |
| The average rate for     | a        | a        |          |          |
| hospitals across the     | verage** | verage** |          |          |
| state is                 |          |          |          |          |
| **[3]{.underline}** for  |          |          |          |          |
| every **10,000**         |          |          |          |          |
| patients.                |          |          |          |          |
+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| [Rate of too much        | **       | *        | Average  | Average  |
| bleeding or blood clots  | Better** | *Worse** |          |          |
| after an                 |          |          |          |          |
| operation]{.underline}   | **than   | **than   |          |          |
|                          | a        | a        |          |          |
| The average rate for     | verage** | verage** |          |          |
| hospitals across the     |          |          |          |          |
| state is                 |          |          |          |          |
| **[2]{.underline}** for  |          |          |          |          |
| every **1,000**          |          |          |          |          |
| patients.                |          |          |          |          |
+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| [Rate of abnormal        | **       | **       | Average  | **       |
| changes in body function | Better** | Better** |          | Better** |
| after an                 |          |          |          |          |
| operation]{.underline}   | **than   | **than   |          | **than   |
|                          | a        | a        |          | a        |
| The average rate for     | verage** | verage** |          | verage** |
| hospitals across the     |          |          |          |          |
| state is                 |          |          |          |          |
| **[10]{.underline}** for |          |          |          |          |
| every **10,000**         |          |          |          |          |
| patients.                |          |          |          |          |
+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| [Rate of breathing       | *        | Average  | *        | **       |
| failure after an         | *Worse** |          | *Worse** | Better** |
| operation]{.underline}   |          |          |          |          |
|                          | **than   |          | **than   | **than   |
| The average rate for     | a        |          | a        | a        |
| hospitals across the     | verage** |          | verage** | verage** |
| state is                 |          |          |          |          |
| **[9]{.underline}** for  |          |          |          |          |
| every **1,000**          |          |          |          |          |
| patients.                |          |          |          |          |
+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| [Rate of blood clots in  | Average  | Average  | Average  | **       |
| the lung or large vein   |          |          |          | Better** |
| after an                 |          |          |          |          |
| operation]{.underline}   |          |          |          | **than   |
|                          |          |          |          | a        |
| The average rate for     |          |          |          | verage** |
| hospitals across the     |          |          |          |          |
| state is                 |          |          |          |          |
| **[10]{.underline}** for |          |          |          |          |
| every **1,000**          |          |          |          |          |
| patients.                |          |          |          |          |
+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| [Rate of bloodstream     | **       | *        | **       | *        |
| infection following an   | Better** | *Worse** | Better** | *Worse** |
| operation]{.underline}   |          |          |          |          |
|                          | **than   | **than   | **than   | **than   |
| The average rate for     | a        | a        | a        | a        |
| hospitals across the     | verage** | verage** | verage** | verage** |
| state is                 |          |          |          |          |
| **[11]{.underline}** for |          |          |          |          |
| every **1,000**          |          |          |          |          |
| patients.                |          |          |          |          |
+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| [Rate of splitting open  | **       | **Worse  | **       | Average  |
| of a surgical wound      | Better** | than     | Better** |          |
| after an operation on    |          | a        |          |          |
| the stomach or pelvic    | **than   | verage** | **than   |          |
| area]{.underline}        | a        |          | a        |          |
|                          | verage** |          | verage** |          |
| The average rate for     |          |          |          |          |
| hospitals across the     |          |          |          |          |
| state is                 |          |          |          |          |
| **[11]{.underline}** for |          |          |          |          |
| every **10,000**         |          |          |          |          |
| patients.                |          |          |          |          |
+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| [Rate of accidental cuts | Average  | **       | *        | Average  |
| and tears]{.underline}   |          | Better** | *Worse** |          |
|                          |          |          |          |          |
| The average rate for     |          | **than   | **than   |          |
| hospitals across the     |          | a        | a        |          |
| state is                 |          | verage** | verage** |          |
| **[3]{.underline}** for  |          |          |          |          |
| every **1,000**          |          |          |          |          |
| patients.                |          |          |          |          |
+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+

**Rate of patients with bed sores**

This graph shows you the percent of patients who developed bed sores,
which are sores or wounds on the skin (called a *decubitus ulcer*),
during their hospital stay. Usually this happens when patients are lying
in one position for too long and can often be prevented. This
information is for patients admitted during \[insert year\].

When choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that has a
**[lower]{.underline}** rate for this complication. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image18.wmf){width="5.333333333333333in" height="3.71875in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
with bed sores in hospitals across your state. This number is included
so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Rate of patients having air leaking out of the lung**

This graph shows you how often air leaks out of the lung because someone
accidentally punctured it as a result of a medical procedure (called
*iatrogenic pneumothorax*). Iatrogenic pneumothorax sometimes requires
putting a tube into a patient's chest to remove the extra air. This
information is for patients who were admitted during \[insert year\].
**Please note that this is a very rare event**.

When choosing a hospital, look for the hospital that has a
**[lower]{.underline}** rate for this complication. A
**[lower]{.underline}** rate is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}** bar
on the graph below.

![](media/image19.wmf){width="5.354166666666667in"
height="3.7291666666666665in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
with this complication in hospitals across your state. This number is
included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is normal for your state.

-   a standard to compare the other hospitals to.

**Rate of infections due to medical care**

This graph shows you the percent of patients who got certain types of
infections as a result of care they received while in the hospital.
These include infections related to intravenous tubes and fluids,
treatment of kidney failure, transfusions, and other types of shots.
This information is for patients admitted during \[insert year\].

When choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that has a
**[lower]{.underline}** rate for this topic. A **[lower]{.underline}**
number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}** bar on the graph below.

![](media/image20.wmf){width="5.34375in" height="3.7083333333333335in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
with certain types of infections due to medical care, in hospitals
across your state. This number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Rate of hip fracture after an operation**

This graph shows you the percent of patients who broke a hip from a fall
following any kind of operation. A fall can happen for different
reasons, such as being given too much pain medication, or having too
little supervision when trying to walk after an operation. Or, it may
just happen. This information is for patients admitted during \[insert
year\]. **Please note that this is a very rare event**.

When choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that has a
**[lower]{.underline}** rate of postoperative hip fractures. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image21.wmf){width="5.354166666666667in"
height="3.7291666666666665in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
with hip fractures after an operation, in hospitals across your state.
This number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Rate of too much bleeding or blood clots after an operation**

This graph shows you how often patients bled too much (called
*hemorrhaging*) or developed a large blood clot (called a *hematoma*)
after an operation. All of these complications involved another
operation to stop the bleeding or remove the blood clots. This
information is for patients admitted during \[insert year\].

When choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that has a
**[lower]{.underline}** rate for this complication. A
**[lower]{.underline}** rate is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}** bar
on the graph below.

![](media/image22.wmf){width="5.354166666666667in"
height="3.7291666666666665in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
who had too much bleeding, or blood clots after an operation, in
hospitals across your state. This number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Rate of abnormal changes in body functioning after an operation**

This graph shows you the percent of patients who experienced problems
with blood sugar control (if they have diabetes) or kidney failure (if
they did not have previous kidney trouble) after having an operation
(these complications are called *postoperative physiologic and metabolic
derangements)* This information is for patients admitted during \[insert
year\]. **Please note that this is a very rare event**.

When you are choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that
has a **[lower]{.underline}** rate for this complication. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image23.wmf){width="5.354166666666667in"
height="3.7291666666666665in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
with abnormal changes in body functioning, in hospitals across your
state. This number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Rate of breathing failure after an operation**

This graph shows you the percent of patients who became unable to
breathe on their own following an operation, and who needed a
ventilator, which is a machine that helps someone breathe, at least
temporarily (which is called *postoperative respiratory failure*). This
information is for patients admitted during \[insert year\].

When choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that has
**[lower]{.underline}** rates for this complication. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image24.wmf){width="5.322916666666667in"
height="3.6979166666666665in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
with breathing failure after an operation, in hospitals across your
state. This number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Rate of blood clots in the lung or large veins after an operation**

This graph shows you the percent of patients who developed a blood clot
in the lungs (which is called a *pulmonary embolism*) or in a large vein
(which is called *deep vein thrombosis*) following an operation. This
information is for patients admitted during \[insert year\].

These clots can be life-threatening. When you are choosing a hospital,
you should look for the hospital that has **[lower]{.underline}** rates
for this complication. A **[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a
**[shorter]{.underline}** bar on the graph below.

![](media/image25.wmf){width="5.354166666666667in"
height="3.7291666666666665in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
with blood clots in the lung or large veins after an operation, in
hospitals across your state. This number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Rate of bloodstream infection following an operation**

This graph shows you the percent of patients who got a bloodstream
infection following an operation (which is called *postoperative
sepsis*). This information is for patients admitted during \[insert
year\].

When you are choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that
has **[lower]{.underline}** rates for this complication. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image26.wmf){width="5.322916666666667in"
height="3.6979166666666665in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
with bloodstream infections following an operation, in hospitals across
your state. This number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Rate of splitting open of a surgical wound after an operation on the
stomach or pelvic area**

This graph shows you the percent of patients having an operation in
their stomach or pelvic area whose wound split open after an operation
(which is called *postoperative wound dehiscence*). All of these
complications were treated with another major operation to fix the
wound. This information is for patients admitted during \[insert year\].
**Please note that this is a very rare event**.

When choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that has
**[lower]{.underline}** rates for this complication. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image27.wmf){width="5.354166666666667in"
height="3.7291666666666665in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
with splitting open of a surgical wound after an operation on the
stomach or pelvis splitting, in hospitals across your state. This number
is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Rate of accidental cuts and tears**

This graph shows you the percent of patients who were accidentally cut
or injured, making a hole or tear in an organ of the body, while
receiving medical care (which is called *accidental puncture and
laceration*). This information is for patients admitted during \[insert
year\].

When choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that has
**[lower]{.underline}** rates for this complication. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image28.wmf){width="5.3125in" height="3.6875in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of patients
who had accidental cuts and tears, in hospitals across your state. This
number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Specific topics of medical complications, for children**

Information is available in the Report about the seven topics that show
how often **children** under 18 in the hospital experienced
complications as a result of their stay. These complications can be
serious, even fatal. They can be potentially prevented if steps are
taken to make care safer. Definitions of each of these seven topics are
provided below.

**Please check the box next to each topic you care about.**

You can return to this page and pick another overall score whenever you
like, using the tabs on the (top/left)

.

**Select All**

-   **Rate of bed sores in hospitalized children**

> How often children in the hospital under 18 developed a bed sore
> (which is called a *decubitus ulcer*), which is a sore or wound on the
> skin. This can occur because people are lying in one position for too
> long.

-   **Rate of children (other than newborns) having air leaking out of
    their lung**

> How often air leaks out of the lung because someone accidentally
> punctured it as a result of a medical procedure or operation (which is
> called *iatrogenic pneumothorax*). This rate is for children other
> than newborns.

-   **Rate of infections due to medical care**

> How often children under 18 got certain types of infections as a
> result of the care they received in the hospital.

-   **Rate of too much bleeding, or bruises or clots after an
    operation**

> How often children under 18 bled too much, either within their body or
> outside their body (called *hemorrhaging*), or developed a large blood
> clot after an operation (which is called a *hematoma*).

-   **Rate of breathing failure after an operation**

> How often children under 18 became unable to breathe on their own
> following an operation, and needed a ventilator, which is a machine
> that helps someone breathe, at least temporarily (which is called
> *postoperative respiratory failure*).

-   **Rate of bloodstream infection following an operation**

> How often children under 18 got a serious bloodstream infection
> following an operation (which is called *postoperative sepsis*).

-   **Rate of splitting open of a surgical wound after an operation on
    the stomach or pelvis**

> How often children under 18 had a surgical wound in the stomach or
> pelvic area split open after an operation (which is called
> *postoperative wound dehiscence*).

-   **Rate of accidental cuts and tears**

> How often children under 18 were accidentally cut, making a hole or
> tear in an organ of the body, while receiving medical care (which is
> called *accidental puncture and laceration*).

**Compare Hospital Scores**

**Compare hospital scores for medical complications, for children**

When you are choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that
does **Better than average** on the topics that are most important to
you, or on as many items as possible.

**Click on the [topic name]{.underline} to see detail results of how
each hospital performed.**

+-----------------------+----------------------------------------------+
| **Rate** is the       | **Each hospital's rate is compared to the    |
| percent of patients   | average rate of hospitals across the         |
| who experienced a     | state.** This state average is provided      |
| particular problem    | beneath the name of the individual topic.    |
| during their hospital |                                              |
| stay during \[insert  | Average is about the same as the average     |
| year\].               | rate of hospitals across the state.          |
|                       |                                              |
| **Death rate** is the | **Better than average** is better than the   |
| percent of patients   | average rate of hospitals across the state.  |
| who died while in     |                                              |
| each hospital during  | **Worse than average** is worse than the     |
| \[insert year\] as a  | average rate of hospitals across the state.  |
| result of a serious   |                                              |
| complication that     |                                              |
| could have been       |                                              |
| prevented.            |                                              |
+-----------------------+----------------------------------------------+

+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| **Medical Complications, | **       | **       | **       | **       |
| Children**               | Hospital | Hospital | Hospital | Hospital |
|                          | A**      | B**      | C**      | D**      |
+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| [Rate of bed sores in    | **       | *        | Average  | **       |
| hospitalized             | Better** | *Worse** |          | Better** |
| children]{.underline}    |          |          |          |          |
|                          | **than   | **than   |          | **than   |
| The average rate for     | a        | a        |          | a        |
| hospitals across the     | verage** | verage** |          | verage** |
| state is                 |          |          |          |          |
| **[3]{.underline}** for  |          |          |          |          |
| every **1,000** child    |          |          |          |          |
| patients                 |          |          |          |          |
+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| [Rate of children having | **       | Average  | *        | **       |
| air leaking out of their | Better** |          | *Worse** | Better** |
| lung]{.underline}        |          |          |          |          |
|                          | **than   |          | **than   | **than   |
| The average rate for     | a        |          | a        | a        |
| hospitals across the     | verage** |          | verage** | verage** |
| state is                 |          |          |          |          |
| **[2]{.underline}** for  |          |          |          |          |
| every **10,000** child   |          |          |          |          |
| patients.                |          |          |          |          |
+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| [Rate of infections in   | Average  | **       | *        | Average  |
| children due to medical  |          | Better** | *Worse** |          |
| care]{.underline}        |          |          |          |          |
|                          |          | **than   | **than   |          |
| The average rate for     |          | a        | a        |          |
| hospitals across the     |          | verage** | verage** |          |
| state is                 |          |          |          |          |
| **[3]{.underline}** for  |          |          |          |          |
| every **1,000** child    |          |          |          |          |
| patients                 |          |          |          |          |
+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| [Rate of too much        | **       | *        | Average  | Average  |
| bleeding or blood clots  | Better** | *Worse** |          |          |
| in children following an |          |          |          |          |
| operation]{.underline}   | **than   | **than   |          |          |
|                          | a        | a        |          |          |
| The average rate for     | verage** | verage** |          |          |
| hospitals across the     |          |          |          |          |
| state is                 |          |          |          |          |
| **[2]{.underline}** for  |          |          |          |          |
| every **1,000** child    |          |          |          |          |
| patients                 |          |          |          |          |
+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| [Rate of breathing       | **       | **       | *        | *        |
| failure in children      | Better** | Better** | *Worse** | *Worse** |
| following an             |          |          |          |          |
| operation]{.underline}   | **than   | **than   | **than   | **than   |
|                          | a        | a        | a        | a        |
| The average rate for     | verage** | verage** | verage** | verage** |
| hospitals across the     |          |          |          |          |
| state is                 |          |          |          |          |
| **[14]{.underline}** for |          |          |          |          |
| every **1,000** child    |          |          |          |          |
| patients                 |          |          |          |          |
+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| [Rate of bloodstream     | Average  | **       | Average  | *        |
| infection in children    |          | Better** |          | *Worse** |
| following an             |          |          |          |          |
| operation]{.underline}   |          | **than   |          | **than   |
|                          |          | a        |          | a        |
| The average rate for     |          | verage** |          | verage** |
| hospitals across the     |          |          |          |          |
| state is                 |          |          |          |          |
| **[9]{.underline}** for  |          |          |          |          |
| every **1,000** child    |          |          |          |          |
| patients.                |          |          |          |          |
+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+

+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| [Rate of splitting open  | **       | *        | **       | **       |
| of a surgical wound      | Better** | *Worse** | Better** | Better** |
| after an operation on    |          |          |          |          |
| the stomach or pelvic    | **than   | **than   | **than   | **than   |
| area among               | a        | a        | a        | a        |
| children]{.underline}    | verage** | verage** | verage** | verage** |
|                          |          |          |          |          |
| The average rate for     |          |          |          |          |
| hospitals across the     |          |          |          |          |
| state is                 |          |          |          |          |
| **[10]{.underline}** for |          |          |          |          |
| every **10,000** child   |          |          |          |          |
| patients.                |          |          |          |          |
+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| [Rate of accidental cuts | Average  | **       | *        | Average  |
| and tears in             |          | Better** | *Worse** |          |
| hospitalized             |          |          |          |          |
| children]{.underline}    |          | **than   | **than   |          |
|                          |          | a        | a        |          |
| The average rate for     |          | verage** | verage** |          |
| hospitals across the     |          |          |          |          |
| state is                 |          |          |          |          |
| **[2]{.underline}** for  |          |          |          |          |
| every **1,000** child    |          |          |          |          |
| patients.                |          |          |          |          |
+--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+

**Rate of hospitalized children with bed sores**

This graph shows you how often children in the hospital developed a bed
sore (which is called a *decubitus ulcer*), which is a sore or wound on
the skin. This can occur because children are lying in one position for
too long. This information is for patients under 18 admitted during
\[insert year\].

When choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that has a
**[lower]{.underline}** rate for this complication. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image29.wmf){width="5.364583333333333in"
height="3.7395833333333335in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of children
with bed sores in hospitals across your state. This number is included
so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Rate of children (other than newborns) having air leaking out**

**of their lung**

This graph shows you how often air leaks out of a child's lung because
someone accidentally punctured it during a medical procedure (a
complication which is called *iatrogenic pneumothorax*). Iatrogenic
pneumothorax sometimes requires putting a tube into a child's chest to
remove the extra air. This information is for patients under 18, other
than newborns, who were admitted during \[insert year\]. **Please note
that this is a very rare event**.

When choosing a hospital, look for the hospital that has a
**[lower]{.underline}** rate for this complication. A
**[lower]{.underline}** rate is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}** bar
on the graph below.

![](media/image30.wmf){width="5.354166666666667in"
height="3.7291666666666665in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of children
with this complication in hospitals across your state. This number is
included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

# Rate of infections in children due to medical care

How often children under 18 got certain types of infections as a result
of the care they received in the hospital. These include infections
related to intravenous tubes and fluids, treatment of kidney failure,
transfusions, and other types of shots. This information is for patients
under 18 admitted during \[insert year\].

When choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that has a
**[lower]{.underline}** rate for this complication. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image31.wmf){width="5.354166666666667in"
height="3.7291666666666665in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of children
with infections due to medical care in hospitals across your state. This
number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Rate of too much bleeding or blood clots after an operation, among
children**

This graph shows you how often children bled too much (called
*hemorrhaging*) or developed a large blood clot (called *hematoma*)
after an operation. All of these complications involved another
operation to stop the bleeding or remove the blood clots. This
information is for patients under 18 admitted during \[insert year\].

When choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that has a
**[lower]{.underline}** rate for this complication. A
**[lower]{.underline}** rate is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}** bar
on the graph below.

![](media/image32.wmf){width="5.354166666666667in"
height="3.7291666666666665in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of children
with too much bleeding or blood clots in hospitals across your state.
This number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Rate of breathing failure among children after an operation**

This graph shows you how often children having any kind of operation
became unable to breathe on their own right afterwards, and needed a
ventilator, which is a machine that helps someone breathe, at least
temporarily (a complication that is called *postoperative respiratory
failure*). This information is for patients under 18 admitted during
\[insert year\].

When choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that has
**[lower]{.underline}** rates for this topic. A **[lower]{.underline}**
number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}** bar on the graph below.

![](media/image33.wmf){width="5.354166666666667in"
height="3.7291666666666665in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of children
with breathing failure after an operation, in hospitals across your
state. This number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Rate of bloodstream infection among children following an operation**

This graph shows you how often children got a bloodstream infection
following an operation (which is called *postoperative sepsis*). This
information is for patients under 18 admitted during \[insert year\].

When you are choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that
has **[lower]{.underline}** rates for this complication. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image34.wmf){width="5.354166666666667in"
height="3.7291666666666665in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of children
with bloodstream infections following an operation in hospitals across
your state. This number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**Rate of splitting open of a surgical wound after an operation on the
stomach or pelvic area among children**

This graph shows you the percent of children having an operation in
their stomach or pelvic area whose wound split open after an operation
(which is called *postoperative wound dehiscence*). All of these
complications were treated with another major operation to fix the
wound. This information is for patients admitted during \[insert year\].
**Please note that this is a very rare event**.

When choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that has
**[lower]{.underline}** rates for this complication. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image35.wmf){width="5.53125in" height="3.7395833333333335in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of children
who had surgical wounds in the stomach or pelvis split open after an
operation, in hospitals across your state. This number is included so
you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

#  

# Rate of accidental cuts and tears among children 

This graph shows you how often a child under 18 was accidentally cut,
making a hole or tear in an organ of the body, while receiving medical
care (which is called *accidental puncture and laceration*). This
information is for patients under 18 admitted during \[insert year\].

When you are choosing a hospital, you should look for the hospital that
has **[lower]{.underline}** rates for this complication. A
**[lower]{.underline}** number is shown by a **[shorter]{.underline}**
bar on the graph below.

![](media/image36.wmf){width="5.364583333333333in"
height="3.7395833333333335in"}

**Average of hospitals across the state:** The average rate of children
with accidental cuts and tears in hospitals across your state. This
number is included so you have:

-   a better idea of what is typical for your state.

-   a basis for comparing individual hospitals' performance.

**How should you use the Report?**

How can this information help you? First and foremost, if you or someone
you care about expects to be admitted to a hospital in the near future,
you can use this information to **help you choose a hospital**. The
information can help you **rule out certain hospitals** because the
information indicates they do not perform well. It can help you **find a
hospital that is especially good** at treating the conditions you face,
or especially good at avoiding complications. The report can also help
you **make a final choice** between two or three hospitals with good
reputations.

The best way to use this particular report is also to **look for
patterns in the scores**. Some hospitals may do very well across the
board; others may do well in some areas and not in others; still others
may really show problems in a wide range of areas. Look carefully for
these patterns. At the same time, if there is a particular operation, or
medical condition, or complication that is of particular concern to you,
you will want to give more weight to information related to those
concerns.

Several factors go into making a hospital choice. For example, you may
have to **use the specific hospitals in the "network"** **of your health
plan.** If you have to go to a hospital in the network whose scores in
this report are troubling to you, **bring the information to your
doctor** to discuss it. You may want to ask your doctor to be especially
vigilant to ensure that certain problems that are worrying you are
avoided.

Second, you can only be admitted to a hospital by a doctor, and doctors
typically have "admitting privileges," the right to admit patients, at
one or a few hospitals. So when you choose a doctor, and especially
**when you choose a specialist, you may actually be choosing a
hospital** at the same time. So when your regular doctor refers you to a
specialist, ask the question "Where can this specialist admit patients?"
Then, **before committing yourself to a particular specialist, check out
their hospital** in this report. Again, if the information troubles you,
bring it back to your doctor and see if you can be referred to a
specialist who practices at a hospital that performs well on the topics
that are important to you.

**Remember, it's your life, and your health**. Most physicians and
hospitals are happy to talk with patients about information from
reliable sources, and they care about your preferences. You certainly
have the right to raise issues with them and get answers to your
questions.

**A few things to keep in mind as you use the Report**

This Report is a starting point for looking at the quality of care at a
particular hospital. The overall scores and specific topic results are
not the final word. There are a few things to keep in mind when looking
at this report.

-   **Neither the summary scores nor the specific topics cover all
    health conditions or surgeries.**

> As new information becomes available, this report may be updated.

-   **The Report doesn't address all aspects of quality.**

> For example, this report does not include information on what patients
> say about their care in the hospital, or information on whether
> hospitals consistently follow steps known to lead to better results.
> Information like this is available for many American hospitals on a
> federal government website called Hospital Compare. **[Click here to
> go to the Hospital Compare website.]{.underline}**
>
> The Report also does not include information on the specific services
> provided by a hospital. That information is best obtained directly
> from the hospital itself. **[Click here for a list of hospitals
> included in this Report and how to contact them.]{.underline}**

-   **Don't presume that because a hospital does well (or poorly) in one
    area of health care, that it will do well (or poorly) in all
    areas.**

> Hospitals can have strengths and weaknesses in providing different
> types of care. For example, there are many different kinds of cancers,
> each of which is treated differently. A hospital that has good scores
> on operations involving cancer of the pancreas may not do so well with
> a different type of cancer.

-   **In some cases, the specific topics track serious failures in a
    hospital's performance which happen only once in a great while.**

> You have to be careful when comparing hospitals on these very rare
> events. The numbers are so small that it is hard to know when a
> difference means something or just happens by chance. An example would
> be a bad reaction to a blood transfusion, which happens in only a
> handful of cases out of a million people each year.

-   **Don't give too much weight to small differences between
    hospitals.**

> Even on more common events, be careful not to give too much weight to
> small differences. If in one hospital, 25 people out of a thousand had
> too much bleeding after an operation, and in another hospital, 26
> people out of a thousand did, that's a really small difference and you
> shouldn't worry about it.

-   **Some differences in scores may reflect the age of patients or how
    sick patients are rather than the care provided by the hospital.**

> Hospitals vary in quality, but they also vary in terms of their
> patients. Their patients can differ in terms of their age***,*** or in
> terms of how sick they are.
>
> If one hospital takes care of people who happen to be older, or
> sicker, that hospital's patients are more likely to die or have
> certain complications, no matter how good the hospital is.
>
> **We want to show you differences that relate to how hospitals
> actually perform**, rather than differences that relate to how old or
> sick their patients are. So to the extent possible, the information in
> this Report takes account of differences between hospitals in the age
> of their patients, and how sick they are. The scores in this report
> have been calculated to try to take account of these differences. For
> details about how the scores in this report were developed, **[Click
> here for Technical Details about the Quality Information in this
> Report]{.underline}**

# Hospital Quality: What is it? Where can I find learn more about it? 

Quality in health care, including in hospitals, can be described as
"doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right way \-- and
having the best possible results."

The Institute of Medicine recently stated that high quality health care
is:

-   ***Effective:*** Treatment uses scientific knowledge and medical
    experience to increase the chances of getting the best results, and
    decrease the chance of getting bad results, including death.

-   ***Safe:*** Treatment does not result in medical complications or
    cause harm to the patient that can be prevented.

-   ***Patient-centered:*** Doctors, nurses, and other medical staff
    treat patients with respect, dignity and compassion, and are
    responsive to patients' needs, values, and preferences.

-   ***Timely:*** Patients get the care they need without harmful
    delays.

-   ***Efficient:*** Treatment does not waste doctors' or patients' time
    or money.

-   ***Equitable:*** The same level of care is available to everyone,
    including men, women and children of all cultures, incomes,
    education level, social status or any other characteristic.

# Where to learn more about Hospital Quality

The information in this Report deals with the first two aspects of
hospital quality described above -- effective care and safe care. If you
are interested in other aspects of quality care, here are some resources
that can help. We also list websites with materials to help you think
through the process of choosing a hospital.

**Hospital Compare -- Department of Health and Human Services**

-   *Hospital Compare* is a website with quality information on almost
    all hospitals in the US. Current information includes measures of
    timely and effective care for three conditions: heart attack, heart
    failure and pneumonia. There is also a measure of safe care, the
    surgical infection prevention rate.

> In the next year or so, the website will add two kinds of new
> information: information similar to this report about death rates for
> patients admitted for different operations and medical conditions, and
> information about patients' experiences in hospitals, such as how well
> doctors and nurses communicate with patients and how responsive
> hospital staff are to patient needs. Go to
> **[www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov]{.underline}**.
>
> In addition, the *Hospital Compare* website provides a *Hospital
> Checklist* that you can use to think through a range of issues to
> consider in choosing a hospital. Go to
> **[http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/Hospital/Static/About-HospChecklist.asp]{.underline}**

**Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ)**

-   *Quick Checks for Quality: Choosing Quality Health Care*, an
    information sheet by AHRQ, from
    **[http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/quick.htm]{.underline}**.

-   AHRQ's *Your Guide to Choosing Quality Health Care*, from
    **[http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/qnt]{.underline}**

-   *Be an Active Health Care Consumer*
    (**[http://www.ahrq.gov/path/beactive.htm]{.underline}**), an AHRQ
    web page that includes a list of quality tools and information for
    people who want to take an active role in their health care. Among
    the resources is a booklet, ***Guide to Health Care Quality: How to
    Know it When You See It***

To contact AHRQ by mail write to:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality\
Office of Communications and Knowledge Transfer\
540 Gaither Road, Suite 2000\
Rockville, MD 20850.

To reach them by phone, call (301) 427-1364

**Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations**

This organization (JCAHO) is the primary group that reviews and
accredits hospitals in the United States.

-   *Quality Check*
    (**[http://www.qualitycheck.org/consumer/searchQCR.aspx]{.underline}**),
    a site of the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare
    Organizations, on which you can look up hospitals that meet this
    organization's patient safety and quality standards.

To reach JCAHO with a general question, call 630-792-5000.

To order JCAHO publications, call 877-223-6866

**If you have concerns and complaints about your care**

If you have a complaint about the quality of the medical care you or a
loved one received at a hospital, first contact the hospital's patient
advocate. You can usually reach the patient advocate through the
hospital's telephone operator.

If you still need help, there are two agencies in every state that work
on hospital quality.

-   *The Quality Improvement Organization or QIO.* This is the
    organization to contact if you are not satisfied after calling the
    hospital's patient advocate.

-   *The State Survey Agency.* This is the organization to call if you
    have other complaints about a health care facility.

The phone numbers for the State Survey Agency and the Quality
Improvement Organization in your state can be found at
**[www.medicare.gov/Contacts/Home.asp]{.underline}** Additional
information about hospitals may be found on websites of these state
agencies.

You can also contact the Complaint Hotline at the Joint Commission on
the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).

Phone: 1-800-994-6610

E-mail: <complaint@jointcommission.org>.

**Technical details about the quality information in this Report**

The scores in this report are based on standardized information that all
hospitals in our state are required to submit to (insert name of state
agency). Hospitals have to demonstrate that the information they provide
is accurate and complete. The (agency) actually calculates the scores,
not the hospitals.

The specific topics in this report were developed by the Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and are called the AHRQ Quality
Indicators. AHRQ is a federal government agency whose mission is to
improve the quality and safety of health care in the United States.

AHRQ saw a need for a set of hospital quality indicators that could be
collected easily, based on information that was gathered in exactly the
same way from hospital to hospital. Dozens of experts in health services
research, internal medicine and pediatrics, statistics, and health care
quality measurement worked together to develop and test these indicators
to make sure they were medically meaningful, accurate and reliable. The
indicators are regularly reviewed and updated. **[Click here for
detailed information about the AHRQ Quality Indicators]{.underline}**

AHRQ has developed several kinds of indicators. They have also developed
the overall scores that combine information from several indicators. The
information in this Report is based on what are called Inpatient Quality
Indicators, Patient Safety Indicators, and Pediatric Quality Indicators.
Both these sets of indicators relate primarily to the *results* of
hospital care for patients.

**[Click here for detailed information about the AHRQ Inpatient Quality
Indicators]{.underline}**

**[Click here for detailed information about the AHRQ Patient Safety
Indicators]{.underline}**

**[Click here for detailed information about the AHRQ Pediatric Quality
Indicators]{.underline}**

**How we analyzed the data and calculated scores**

*In this section of the website, the sponsor should present information
about the methods they used in analyzing the data and calculating
scores. For example, this is the place to explain how some hospitals
were identified as being "better" or "worse" than average, additional
details about risk-adjustment methods, and whether or not the data were
smoothed, or combined for several years.*