Have You Ever Wondered About the Safety of Your NH Hospital?

While New Hampshire still has no medical error reporting system in place, there are ways to find out how well your local New Hampshire hospital compares in comparison to other NH hospitals. One source of information may be found at Health Grades website. The website is one of a few that evaluate local hospitals and evaluate them according to various categories including patient safety.
The information may surprise you. For instance, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon ranks “as expected” for back and neck surgery but receive a “poor” rank in the hip fracture repair category.
The rankings and differences found among the hospital are significant in some instances. The Health Grades website notes, “There can be enormous quality differences between one hospital and another, and between one doctor and another. For example, a recent study by HealthGrades found that a typical patient would have, on average, a 69 percent lower chance of dying in a five-star rated hospital compared to a one-star rated hospital.”

Holly Haines