Check Out Your Hospital
May 20, 2008

by Staff, Health Information Center, Mid-Manhattan Library

A Guide to Finding Reliable Information about Hospital
Procedures and Services 

 

An Introduction

     

While you might not be able to find all the details you want about a hospital, the good news is that information is becoming increasingly available to health consumers in New York.   Several State and Federal websites track certain quality measures for hospitals and allow you to make comparisons.  In addition several non-profit organizations conduct their own surveys of hospital quality and make the results available on the web.

    

Information for Hospitals in New York  State    

    

New York  State  Hospital   Profile   

http://hospitals.nyhealth.gov/  

This site, maintained by the New York State Department of Health, allows you to compare the quality of care of hospitals in New York.   Currently, four areas are measured:  

  • heart conditions
  • pneumonia care
  • surgical infection prevention
  • performance of coronary artery bypass graft, angioplasty or pediatric heart surgery

 

You can search by name of hospital, county, or procedure type.  Hospitals can also be compared to each other and the state average.  Be sure to look under the terms “Measures for this condition/procedure” to find out what specific measurements were used to determine quality. 

 

HHC in Focus

 http://www.nyc.gov/html/hhc/infocus/html/home/performance_landing.shtml  

On this website, rankings from the New York City's Health and Hospitals Corporation are listed for the care and conditions at its 11 area hospitals.  The rankings are a percentage compared to the NYC and national averages.  Topics include mortality rates, heart attack care, chronic disease management and others. 

 

Hospital Complaint and Survey Information http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/hospital/complaint.htm  

Created by the New York State Department of Health, this website lists the results of an annual survey of complaints about hospitals in New York  State.  The number of complaint investigations are listed with the number resulting in a statement of deficiency as well.   For help in understanding the complaint process and results view this page from the Department of Health:  

http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/hospital/key.htm  

 

National Hospital Information   

 

Hospital Compare                           

 www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov  

This website compares the quality of care for hospitals nationwide.  The areas covered are essentially the same as the New York State Physician Profile: heart conditions, pneumonia care, surgical care and infection rates.  The information is gathered and presented by the United States Department of Health and Human Services. 

 

Comparative Guide to American Hospitals (4 volumes)

Ref. 362.1102 C  

This is a four volume set of books that compares hospitals across the country using the same data available at the Hospital Compare website.  Each volume represents a geographic area of the United Statesallowing for comparisons of hospitals by region.  

 

Leapfrog Hospital Quality and Safety Survey Results               

www.leapfroggroup.org/cp  

This website posts results of an ongoing voluntary survey of hospital safety and quality.  The information is collected and presented by the Leapfrog group which is a coalition of large health care purchasers who want to encourage transparency and easy access to health care information as well as rewards for hospitals that have a proven record of high quality care. 

 

U.S News & World Report Best Hospitals

http://health.usnews.com/sections/health/best-hospitals  

This website lists the annual selection of the best hospitals in the United Statesas picked by the staff of U.S. News & World Report.  Look under the term “Methodology” to find out how the hospitals were selected.

  

Hospital Contact Information   

 

Find a Hospital                              

http://apps.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/directories/index.cfm  

Listing of hospitals compiled from the American Hospital Association (AHA) annual survey of hospitals which includes contact information and directions.  

 

New York City and Tri-State  Regional  Hospitalsand Hospices      

http://www.noah-health.org/en/hospitals/hospitals.php  

Listing of links to hospital and hospice websites by name and city in the Tri-State region.  The list is compiled by the New York Online Access to Health (NOAH).

 

Mid-Manhattan Library, Health Information Center
455 Fifth Avenue, 2nd Floor
phone: (212) 340-0883
email: mmhic@nypl.org


 

Need More Help?

Contact the Health Information Center or consult our webpage at www.nypl.org/health/