Are SWFL Patients Checking Hospital Ratings Before Seeking Care?

Our choices about our health care matter. From how often we exercise to the doctors we choose and the hospitals we check into.

In the U.S., we have the best doctors and nurses in the world. And when it
really matters, people come to hospitals in Tampa Bay - and throughout the
United States -- for top-rated care.

But hospitals in the U.S. have over 250,000 deaths per year
from medical errors, according to a study by Johns Hopkins Medicine. This
makes medical mistakes the third leading cause of death after heart disease and
cancer. It is literally a system that can cure or kill you.

So, consumers should ask: Do you want your Mom going to a
two-star hospital where she is more likely to get some terrible infection that
she didn’t have when she arrived or do you want her in a five-star hospital? Do
you know how to tell the difference or where to find that information?

One way that consumers can get informed is through Hospital Compare, a federal hospital
ratings database with information on quality of care at over 4,000
Medicare-certified hospitals, including more than 130 VA medical centers. The Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services provides "report cards" for hospitals, ranking healthcare
systems from around the country in a one- to five-star rating. The higher the
star, the better the hospital performed on a number of measures, including
readmission rates to timeliness of care to deaths.

Many people don’t know about the star rating system for
hospitals and Medicare Advantage Plans. At Venice-based Advocate Health Advisors,
agents advise patients to plan ahead and be sure to discuss with their agent which
hospital will best meet their health care needs - and which Medicare Advantage
plan includes hospitals with the highest ratings. Advocate Health agents
help community members become better consumers.

The Advocate Health team can answer your questions about how their
agents use Hospital Compare and other data to help Medicare recipients make the
best decisions about their care. Visit AdvocateHealthLLC.com for more information.