Results of a national study conducted by Healthgrades reveals only half of Americans feel they have made the right choice in selecting a physician or a hospital.
Healthgrades' American Hospital Quality Outcomes 2013: Healthgrades Report to the Nation includes feedback from more than 7,600 American adults in 27 markets. Part of their findings reveal a stark difference between the importance Americans say they place on their choice of a physician or hospital and the little amount of time they actually spend researching their options.
Specifically, consumers rank physician selection second behind spousal selection when ranking eight key relationships. Even though consumers seem to place high importance on provider selection, they also spend as much time researching a gym as a provider. This may be why half of Americans regret their choice of physician or hospital.
"This kind of information could mean the difference between a smooth surgery and complications, or even worse, life and death," said Archelle Georgiou, MD, a national healthcare expert and strategic advisor to Healthgrades on quality initiatives. "Consumers should do their homework before becoming a patient and take advantage of hospital and doctor performance information based on objective measures, such as complication rates and mortality at hospitals, as well as patient satisfaction information."
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Healthgrades' American Hospital Quality Outcomes 2013: Healthgrades Report to the Nation includes feedback from more than 7,600 American adults in 27 markets. Part of their findings reveal a stark difference between the importance Americans say they place on their choice of a physician or hospital and the little amount of time they actually spend researching their options.
Specifically, consumers rank physician selection second behind spousal selection when ranking eight key relationships. Even though consumers seem to place high importance on provider selection, they also spend as much time researching a gym as a provider. This may be why half of Americans regret their choice of physician or hospital.
"This kind of information could mean the difference between a smooth surgery and complications, or even worse, life and death," said Archelle Georgiou, MD, a national healthcare expert and strategic advisor to Healthgrades on quality initiatives. "Consumers should do their homework before becoming a patient and take advantage of hospital and doctor performance information based on objective measures, such as complication rates and mortality at hospitals, as well as patient satisfaction information."
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