Consumer Reports Ranks Harford Memorial, Christiana Hospitals

By Amber Woods 

Baltimore has some of the top surgical hospitals in the nation, according to a recently released report. It also has one of the worst, that report said.

Consumer Reports has released new data, gathered by analyzing clinical records to check the results of 27 types of surgery in more than almost 2,500 hospitals and medical centers across the nation.

Christiana Care Health System in Newark, DE, received a rating of "average." Bayhealth Medical Center in Dover, DE, received the lowest rating possible.

Closer to Perryville, Harford Memorial Hospital in Havre de Grace received a better than average rating.

Which hospital do you think is the best around? Tell us in the comments!

In the Baltimore area, the highest overall ratings were given to Carroll Hospital Center (Westminster), Greater Baltimore Medical Center (Towson), MedStar Union Memorial Hospital (Baltimore) and Mercy Medical Center (Baltimore).

Hopkins Bayview Medical Center (Baltimore) was among the lowest rated.

Various factors were considered by Consumer Reports, but the ratings focused on the percentage of Medicare patients who died or who stayed longer than expected after a procedure because of complications.

Consumer Reports teamed with MPA, a health care consulting firm with expertise in analyzing medical claims and clinical records, to establish the data.

The project used billing claims that hospitals submitted to Medicare for patients 65 and older, from 2009 through 2011, according to Consumer Reports.

Veterans affairs hospitals were not included in the study because they used a different method of reporting

The full report features a scaled rating of all hospitals in the country.