| The quality of the health care that you receive | | | | report cards are among the most well-respected; |
| can have a major impact on your health and | | | | the U.S. Department of Health and Human |
| well-being; it is surprising, then, to discover that | | | | Services, for instance, publishes a report that |
| many people don't know the first thing about | | | | compares hospitals around the USA. Another |
| determining the quality of the health care that | | | | topnotch quality report is one concerning nursing |
| they receive from their medical facilitators. All too | | | | homes that is published by the Centers For |
| often, patients rely solely on referrals from their | | | | Medicare and Medicaid Services. |
| HMOs or choose a facility at random. The fact of | | | | Looking At Consumer Ratings |
| the matter is that doing your research before | | | | While reports and accreditation are valuable tools, |
| settling on any given medical facilitator is | | | | getting a feel for the human side of healthcare is |
| imperative. There are several ways to do this, | | | | also important. To learn how fellow patients have |
| including reading quality reports, looking at | | | | ranked various medical facilities in an area, people |
| consumer ratings and checking for accreditation | | | | can check online for consumer ratings. Such |
| information. | | | | ratings can cover a myriad of different topics and |
| Checking For Accreditation Information | | | | subjects, and often include basic customer service |
| When a private, unbiased and independent group | | | | ratings in order to give patients an idea about the |
| gives a medical facility or provider its seal of | | | | level of service at individual facilities. When |
| approval, it is called accreditation. In order to | | | | combined with quality reports and accreditation |
| receive accreditation from such independent | | | | information, consumer ratings can help patients |
| groups, a hospital, nursing home or other medical | | | | form an overarching idea about the quality of |
| facility must meet many strict national guidelines | | | | hospitals, clinics and individual medical facilitators in |
| and standards. Accreditation is also an ongoing | | | | their area. |
| process, meaning that facilities are reviewed | | | | Being Proactive About Healthcare |
| periodically to ensure that they are still up to par | | | | In order to receive the best service possible from |
| with current standards. The Joint Commission on | | | | their healthcare providers, patients must do their |
| Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) | | | | research. Simply assuming that any given medical |
| and the National Committee for Quality Assurance | | | | facilitator will provide exceptional service is |
| (NCQA) are two of the best-known accreditation | | | | foolhardy at best, and dangerous at worst. Being |
| bodies in the healthcare industry. | | | | proactive about the quality of the care that is |
| Reading Quality Reports | | | | received is the responsibility of every single |
| There are several quality reports, or report cards, | | | | patient. By holding medical facilitators accountable |
| published regarding medical facilities and providers | | | | for the level of care that they provide, the quality |
| each year. Such reports judge and rate the | | | | of healthcare services as a whole will improve. |
| quality of care provided by medical facilitators, | | | | Doing this research takes very little time and can |
| allowing patients to get a better feel for which | | | | make a huge difference. |
| facility is right for them. Government-sponsored | | | | |