Project Philosophy
Why a Hospital Guide?
This Hospital Guide is provided by the
Maryland Health Care Commission, under the direction of
the Maryland General Assembly. The intent of this guide
is to inform Marylanders about the performance of hospitals
in their state and to help them become knowledgeable and
prudent users of health care services.
This guide has been developed to assist
people with differing needs and circumstances. Some may
want to review the Guide contents in advance in order to
discuss selection options with their physicians and family.
Others might use the guide to:
- decide what hospital to use for a planned treatment
by looking at reports on how different hospitals care
for patients with the same illness.
- find out what to expect when they go to the hospital.
- learn what questions to ask at the hospital to help
them get the most from their care.
- find out about the general quality
of healthcare in Maryland for a limited number
of procedures.
It is not easy to communicate to
patients how to make judgments about the quality of healthcare.
The concept of “quality” means different things to different
people and quality measurements tend to be very technical
and a challenge to understand. Also, several factors
might affect your choice of a hospital, including where
your physician has admitting privileges, the convenience
of its location, your insurance coverage, and the circumstances
of your need for medical care (whether it is an emergency
or a non-emergency situation). Nevertheless, “quality” is
one of the most important factors to consider for many
when deciding which hospital to use for your needs or the
needs of a loved one.
If you need help getting started with
the Hospital Guide, please select the tab for Patient Guide,
Practitioner Guide, or Hospital Leader Guide, then select
How To Use This Guide from the menu on the left. |
