New Hospital Rankings From 'U.S. News'

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How about $ 7500 for a routine colonoscopy - go to Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich CT for this gourmet treatment..!

hj van rijssen of CT 8:39PM July 16, 2008

Hospital rankings don't mean a thing to you unless you either have the money to go there "retail", or their services are covered in the "network" you're allowed in an insurance plan.
Billy Mayes, TV salesman for OxyClean and the Hercules (picture-hanger) hook, is now hawking low-rate health insurance on TV for purchase by the naive. Will ANY of the "best hospitals" be available to those policyholders?

Daniel David of NM 2:58PM July 15, 2008

I was not surprised by this news report on errors in a life and death hospital situsation -- I find in many ways there is no work ethic anymore -- too many employees get away with inefficientcy in their work performance,
Many times I have had to correct simple instructions that have got fouled up by the doctors office simply because attention was not paid to the situation and personal conversations were going on.
I now try to institute a remnark (not too popular I admit}that I would like 75% of their attention while working on my situation.
Recently, I was called to go for a test that had already been completed. Time was taken up trying to find out what test was needed and why I was listed as a no show. This would not have been necessary if the employee had been thinking about what she was doing instead of carrying on a conversation with a fellow worker.
Now employers have to worry about laws that protect the uncaring or sloppy employee and must document stuations that years earlier a emloyee would have been justly fired or repremanded for.
This is not a rare incident but unfortunately an almost everyday situation in many businesss areas. These are annoying incidents that can thankfully be corrected without harm -- but when it leaks into medical situations we really have to make some old rules return. Lets hope someone in power is listening.

Jean Anderson of DE 9:47AM July 11, 2008

Outstanding description on the wrong site surgery. It gives me confidence that there is discussion highlighted about this. I worked in aviation for some time and seeing the inside of a control tower or TRACON takes the mystery away.
You shed light where there is only faith for those who choose not to learn. It is human to fail at times, and shows great integrity to acknowledge and seek to learn from it.
You rightfully commend Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Paul Levy for their transparency. This openness is merely a symptom for their larger objective, improvement on their way to perfection.
All the best

Albert Maruggi of MN 11:50PM July 10, 2008

I am curious how is one ot reconsile the contradictory view on the rating the medical center?
Normally it is based on profesional evaluations and referal patterns. But how about the real metrics taking into account risk adjusted outcome measures? does patient input count? How much?
Personally I am familiar with numerous cases where the discrepancy is quite obvious and one wonders how did the ranking, not refelcting the real truth, come about.
Stefan Semchyshyn, MD

Stefan Semchyshyn of TN 11:21PM July 10, 2008

Why is the number of wrong-site surgeries increasing? I don't know. But I do know what can help. Have a family member or good friend accompany the patient to the surgery area and speak to the surgeon directly about the exact surgery site on the patient's body. The family member, acting as advocate, can request that the surgeon write on the patient's body the exact site where the incision will be made. If the surgeon is not available, then speak to the anesthesiologist and other medical staff who are present.
In my book, Critical Conditions: The Essential Hospital Guide To Get Your Loved One Out Alive, many steps are explained to help prevent these types of errors. Someone, a family or good friend, must get involved in a patient's hospital care. Even surgeons are human.

Martine Ehrenclou of CA 10:25PM July 10, 2008