How Does Your Hospital Stack Up?
By: Cohen, Placitella & Roth @ Sep 26, 2016
Of all things in life that should be equitable, healthcare is certainly at the top of the list; socioeconomic status, race, gender, location, religion, and the like should not have any effect on the level of care that a sick or injured person receives. However, different hospitals across the nation receive different quality ratings, and in Philadelphia, the hospitals don’t stack up very well. If you have been injured because of a lack of appropriate care, our attorneys can help.
How Your Hospital Compares
The federal government has created a ranking system for hospitals, in which facilities across the nation are awarded between one and five stars based on a number of criteria. The formula to determine ranking takes into account everything from patient feedback to use of medical imaging to readmission rates and more. You can read more about the five-star ranking system on the website of the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services.
According to an article in Philly.com, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania is only ranked as a three-star facility, and Temple University Hospital and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital have been awarded only two stars. According to the article, a few smaller community hospitals actually fared better than did the larger university hospitals.
Why the Bad Rating?
If your hospital is one of the ones listed above that only received two or three stars out of five, you no doubt are wondering why that is and whether or not you should reconsider from where you seek your health services. The Philly.com article surmises that perhaps the reason that larger hospitals performed more poorly in the study is because they are teaching hospitals, and as such, these hospitals tend to treat sicker patients. What’s more, these sicker patients may report that they have less positive of an experience based on the large size of the hospital(s).
Other Ways to Find Out How Your Hospitals Ranks
In addition to the new federal star ranking, there are a number of other ways to determine whether or not your hospital (as well as your doctors) ranks well. U.S. News and World Report ranks healthcare facilities, as does Consumer Reports, Healthgrades, and more. In fact, you can even read about other people’s experiences with doctors on review sites such as Yelp.
Contact an Experienced Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Regardless of who you are or where you live, when you are sick, injured, and in need of healthcare, you deserve the best care possible. In fact, hospitals have a legal duty to treat you with a high standard of care; if this duty is breached, and you suffer harm as a result, you have the right to file a civil action.
If you believe that your right to quality care has been infringed upon, and if that infringement has resulted in harm, our talented Philadelphia medical malpractice attorneys want to meet with you. An initial case consultation is always free, so pick up the phone and call the law firm of Cohen, Placitella & Roth, P.C. today to schedule yours.
