There were other hospitals in Chattanooga and scores of hospitals in nearby Nashville and Atlanta. I tried to find out whether Erlanger had an unusually high rate of hospital infections, but quickly learned that that information isn't available. A little further research let me know that I wasn't alone in my frustration. A woman named Karen Burton had sued the University of Iowa a few years earlier for refusing to disclose its hospital's infection rate. A district court ruled in her favor, but the state supreme court overturned the ruling.
Hospital administrators argue passionately against revealing such information to the public.
The government's Centers for Disease Control collects voluntary data and monitors individual hospital infection rates, but won't make the data public. I found all this frustrating. Inc. All Rights Reserved. Contents Journal Links Personal Jrnl. Portfolio Subscribe to The Wall Street Journal Check out special introductory rates.