Whether you want to do volunteer work, need to complete your clinical rotations, need an emergency room or want to schedule a surgical procedure, you need to think about hospital quality and other factors. The first time you visit that facility, you can see the type of health care professionals working there and the overall cleanliness of the hospital. Though some patients pick a hospital based on proximity to their homes, you should weigh other factors to pick a good hospital that will provide the help you need.
Experience of Doctors
One thing you should check on as a patient is the overall experience of the doctors working there. A teaching hospital is one with a connection to a university that allows residents and students to get experience before they graduate. If you don’t like the idea of students watching your interactions with the doctor, you may want to skip a trip to a teaching hospital. You should also ask about the professionals who will treat you. Some hospitals allow physician assistants to treat patients and limit the work that doctors do. You may check in and out without every speaking to a doctor.
Safety Score
Consumer Reports recommends checking the safety score before checking in to a hospital. The hospital’s score is based on how well it scores in different areas. A perfect score is a 100, which means that the hospital scored highly or perfectly in all areas. It’s possible for a hospital to score a one. The score relates to the mortality rate of patients, accidents reported in the recent past and any incidents involving doctors and nurses. If the hospital has a score of 50 or lower, you should avoid it. The best hospital for you is the one in your area with the highest safety score.
Doctor Privileges
If you have a general physician or a surgeon you see, you should find out where that doctor has privileges before picking a hospital. Privilege is a term that refers to the ability that the doctor has to see patients in that facility. If the doctor does not have privileges there, you’ll need to see another doctor until your release. During your next appointment, you can talk with your doctor to find out where he or she can work and pick one of those facilities. You’ll also need to talk with your insurer to make sure your policy covers procedures done at that hospital.
Total Cost
As important as hospital quality is, you probably care just as much about cost, especially if you do not have health insurance. Though there are both private and public hospitals, most facilities will treat any patient who comes through the door, even if this means basic care until the hospital transfers the patient to another facility. Public hospitals are much more affordable and can create a payment plan for you. After a trip to the ER, a hospital administrator will see how much you make and reduce the cost of your visit to a more affordable price.
Public and private hospitals offer opportunities for medical school and college students and provide care to those in need. When picking a facility to work in, volunteer at or undergo a procedure in, you should consider hospital quality, its most recent safety score and other factors.
