If there was a wonder drug to save the lives of infants with serious heart abnormalities, doctors would be sure to prescribe it. Parents would insist that their children get it. The company that invented it would get rich. But there already is something that can have as dramatic an impact on these young lives […]
surgical volumes
Why Surgical Volumes Should Be Public
Posted by | Measurement of Safety and QualityHer voice cracked with strain. I could imagine the woman at the other end of the line shaking, overcome with remorse about the hospital where her husband had had esophageal surgery. Might he still be alive, she asked me, if they had chosen a different hospital? The couple had initially planned to have the procedure […]
Why It’s So Hard to Pick the Right Hospital
Posted by | Measurement of Safety and QualitySelecting the right hospital to receive care can save your life, lower your risks of getting a complication, or even reduce your financial hardship. The problem is that it's extremely hard for patients to make that judgment. Sometimes, the data they need to select the best hospital for their care doesn't exist. In other cases […]