Consumers now can comparison shop for hospitals before a health crisis forces a decision about where to go. The US government has launched a new website, Hospital Compare (http://health.dailynewscentral.net/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=000586&Itemid=37), to provide information on the quality of care hospitals provide their adult patients with three common medical problems: heart attacks, heart failure and pneumonia. Health consumers will be able to use the new tool to research and compare performance data. The site, which includes information on more than 4,200 hospitals nationwide, is the result of a collaboration between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Hospital Quality Alliance, a group of organizations that represent hospitals, doctors, employers, accrediting organizations, other Federal agencies and the public.
