No Words Needed. A Pictorial On Why I Punt On Hospital Report Cards.

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By  |  May 16, 2016 | 

 

If I was in flyover country without a contact and needed emergency services how would I research the best hospital in a pinch?  If you read Consumer Reports or a major newspaper, of course, you would run to the nearest handy dandy hospital report card and pick out the facility with the A grade.

Me?  Yeah, I would look, but unless the hospital were a bottom dweller, say a D or F (less than 10% of facilities I muster), I would not think much of barreling through the ER doors to get whatever creaky tissue like substance that needs fixing taken out.

It’s not that I don’t believe there are excellent performers.  Of course, I do.  It’s just that we don’t have good enough measurements to stack them out all proper in the here and now.  And I know that because I live on the front lines–just like most of you. I see how imprecise the whole enterprise is.  That’s not a knock. It is what it is. Bummer.

Unfortunately, those that don’t have that luxury view only stars on computer screens or paper.  But because they are there, they must be good, right?

Well, no rants today.  I will let the pics do the talking.  You can write your own narrative.

 

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Of course, I did not forget about you dyed in the wool P4P fans.  Sharing is caring:

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Let me know if you want more.  There are plenty where they came from.

 

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About the Author: Bradley Flansbaum

Bradley Flansbaum, DO, MPH, MHM works for Geisinger Health System in Danville, PA in both the divisions of hospital medicine and population health. He began working as a hospitalist in 1996, at the inception of the hospital medicine movement. He is a founding member of the Society of Hospital Medicine and served as a board member and officer. He speaks nationally in promoting hospital medicine and has presented at many statewide meetings and conferences. He is also actively involved in house staff education. Currently, he serves on the SHM Public Policy Committee and has an interest in payment policy, healthcare market competition, health disparities, cost-effectiveness analysis, and pain and palliative care. He is SHM’s delegate for the AMA House of Delegates. Dr. Flansbaum received his undergraduate degree from Union College in Schenectady, NY and attended medical school at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his residency and chief residency in Internal Medicine at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York. He received his M.P.H. in Health Policy and Management at Columbia University. He is a political junky, and loves to cook, stay fit, read non-fiction, listen to many genres of music, and is a resident of Danville, PA.

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