We live in an area where we have a number of hospitals. Some, we avoid at all costs (even though we haven't used them ourselves), because they have terrible reputations. Some come highly recommended, but we've had a bad experience or two, so we try to go somewhere else if possible. Others have specific specialites--one is nationally known for their trauma unit--People are airlifted there from all over the state (including our governor when he had a serious auto accident many, many miles away. I'd definitely go there if I had that sort of injury. For anything serious, complicated, or hard-to-diagnose, we head over the river to one of the excellant teaching hospitals. There are several great ones there--including one of the best eye hospitals in the country (which I've been to many times, and trust completely).

Guess what I'm saying, is you have to really know what's available in your area--the hospital, what they offer, how they're rated, what others have to say about their experiences. And probably one of the best resources of all? If you have a regular dr., one you have an ongoing, trusting, good relationship with--talk to him about hospitals and specialists. Ours has given us some excellant suggestions.

Wow I just lucked on my ob/gyn and hospital in Missouri and could not ask for a better one even thoug it is 6 hrs away! Good luck to you...........Stacy

In my experience, it's the support staff you want to look at closely. Check the hospitals where your doctor has privileges, and then look at staffing - number of people on the floor for patient care, and the levels of certification, education. It's the people on the floor that are responsible for most of the mistakes and errors in judgement that harm patients - not the doctors.

Don't put too much emphasis on education...you don't want a hospital whose floor staff is mostly CNAs, but education alone doesn't mean good care. DH successfully sued a big university hospital and the nurse who dislocated AND broke his arm, then left him alone, without reporting it. I walked into the room (in cardiac intensive care), and found DH in horrible pain...and it was me who got him attention. The nurse had a college degree in nursing.

You might wish to check this site:

Here is a link that might be useful: Hospital ratings

I was shocked to see on the national news the other day the story about the 49-year-old woman who laid on the floor for over an hour in an emergency room and finally died. She had been there 24 hours seeking care.

A doctor, a nurse, and some security people saw her laying there and did NOTHING. Well, the nurse kicked her -- but that was it. Don't ALL patients, regardless of financial status or medical condition, deserve humane treatment? How horribly said.

Here is a link that might be useful: CNN story

I guess no matter where you are, hospitals are pretty much the same...You get the bad with the good...We have 2 fairly good local hospitals and we're lucky to be within 20 miles of Pgh. if we need special care...But I do think you have to do your homework...I'm inclined to ask the doctor, "where would you send a member of your family"?

Wow, a Nurse KICKED HER? How odd. I wish we could see the whole story and not just the media version. I'm NOT saying it's ever ok to leave a person on the floor but I'm wondering if she was not willing to be admitted and they thought she was sleeping on the floor. There were other people in the waiting room most likely, what were they doing? Why weren't the police called in. If I were waiting there I would be calling the police if she appeared to be dying with no assistance. And also, where was this womans family or friends, provinding she had any? There are alot of holes in this story.

Toni,
Go the the CNN link above. Just under the picture, click on the surveillance (sp?) video. Security cameras captured the whole thing, so the media simply talked about what was on the film.

oops sorry paleblue for not responding to your question. I'm afraid the answer is not as easy as checking out the stats, where ever those may be. Just ask as many people as you can about the care they received and ask the doctor, providing he can serve at more than one hospital.
95% of a hospital may be staffed by great people, even when faced with understaffing, will retain a caring attitude, But that 5% will be on duty when you are walking in. I'm sure there are a multitude of reasons why hospitals go down hill. Ultimently the director and more often than not funding, is a problem IMO. Your lucky if you have more than one hospital to pick from.

Well, my bad. That CNN video was lame - nothing like what was on Fox News when they reported it..

Try the below link instead. Or this from CBS news. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/02/national/main4227468.shtml - it shows a similar event a year ago in LA.

The NYC videos don't show everything that was on TV on the security tapes, which clearly showed a doctor looking around the corner at the woman, a nurse kicking her (nudging with foot?) to see if she moved, and multiple security people looking and then looking away. You can find more about it on Google.

Here is a link that might be useful: News story on youtube

Hmmm, maybe my pc,,I don't see anyone touching her in the film. Possibly they put on a new clip. Either way I believe there is more to the story.

Okwriter - I read that story and one doctor was fired, a nurse and several other employees are on suspension pending further review, and the hospital is being cited for filing a false report. They claimed the woman was alive and coherent at the time of her death.

What the hospital had not counted on was the video coverage being turned over to the media and police. It was an emergency room for those suffering mostly with mental health issues.

The sad truth is this woman was seated quietly for at least 12 hrs. prior to falling off her seat. She later thrashed about and groaned just before her death.

It is a heartbreaking story.

from what i can tell, its a cr@pshoot every time. even if you go to the same hospital, there is no guarantee the staff will be the same. as a medical professional, i know what should and shouldnt happen during a hospital stay. but i try not to let anyone know i am a nurse when i am in the hospital or caring for a family member in one. that way, you see a more realistic version of what happens.

i really feel sorry for people who are hospitalized without a family member to advocate for them.

anette

I apologize for taking this thread off track. I feel your pain - it is very hard to judge hospitals, isn't it? We have two to choose from in town - my parents have always preferred one, while DH and I have always preferred another. But honestly, it's a toss-up. Recently, my mom (who is 78) has joked that if she doesn't get to feeling better, just take her to the hospital...that they will end her misery. LOL!

Wish I knew the answer to your dilemma. Wish we ALL knew the answer! I think our healthcare system is flawed, partly because of all the government regulation involved. Makes me wish we lived in the days when a doctor showed up in a horse and buggy with a little black bag.

Stop allowing the illegals to get all this free stuff and encourage the uninsured to use walk in clinics for colds, flue, etc instead of ER.

When DH had his heart attack, I knew what hospital to send him to because his dad had the best care there with his heart problems. Because of the quick response in ER and the wonderful heart team, my DH had very minimal damage to his heart.

Sheryl

My father took my mother to the local ER a couple of weeks ago. There was NO DOCTOR there. I warned him that might happen, but he insisted on taking her to that dinky little hospital anyway. We don't even have to talk about how furious I was with him. We have 2 decent ER's within about 30 minutes. I cannot explain him.

I have no answers, but if I had received poor treatment at a hospital, the hospital board would be getting letters about it.

This is the one time of year I am slightly phobic about possibly having to go to a hospital Emergency Room. June 30th usually marks the graduation day of a Resident's year of training. So the brand new students will then begin their training on July 1st. I'd feel more comfortable having to go to an E.R. in the last week of June, when they've all been training for a whole year, than the first week of July when the Residents are all brand new! However, I do realize that sometimes it's the newbies who may be more dedicated and on the ball, because they are so inspired to do their best, whereas as the ones just finishing their Residency may be a little more tired and jaded. I guess we just have to hope that we end up at a decent hospital, and have the good fortune to be treated by staff who are both intelligent and compassionate.

There's a natioinwide shortage of nurses. Nurses are the backbone of a hospital. They do triage, care for patients, everything but prescribe medications and do surgery. If I had my life to live over, I would become a nurse. "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem." I'd like to think I could have done some good in this world.