HealthGrades Guide to America's Hospitals and Doctors: Hospital Quality Ratings, Top Doctors, Expert Guides to Getting the Best Care (Paperback)

by Experts at HealthGrades (Author), Samantha L. Collier (Author), J.D. Kleinke (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Nothing is more important to your health than having a doctor you trust. But identifying the best doctors and hospitals can be nearly impossible—especially since the best hospital for one procedure may not be the best for another.

 

That’s why HealthGrades, the leading U.S. healthcare ratings company, developed its unique rating system for doctors and hospitals across the country. After combing through millions of hospitalization records and data about thousands of physicians, HealthGrades has quantified the differences in quality of care and put the information in your hands. Using HealthGrades’ easy-to-understand star ratings, you can take the guesswork out of finding the best doctor and hospital for treating your medical condition.

 

Inside the HealthGrades Guide to America’s Hospitals and Doctors, you’ll find:

 

• Star ratings for hospitals by state, clinical specialty, and type of procedure
• A directory of all five star rated hospitals
• A comprehensive list of top doctors, by state and by clinical specialty
• Indispensable advice from Dr. Samantha L. Collier on navigating the healthcare system and how to choose the right doctors and hospitals

About the Author

Dr. Samantha L. Collier is the chief medical officer for HealthGrades. She is a nationally-known expert on physician and hospital quality, patient safety, and healthcare ratings.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1136 pages
• Publisher: Sterling; 1 edition (April 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1435104269
• ISBN-13: 978-1435104266
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 8.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #791,756 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Pretty useless, June 6, 2008

By	Hippocrates (California, USA) - See all my reviews

Yes, they rate the hospitals. But the "Top Doctors" rating is so limited as to be useless. For example, for Arkansas only 21 physicians are listed, and only in orthopedic and spine surgery. California has only 5 pages representing a fraction of 1% of all physicians. Moreover, the book does not explain how it arrived at the criteria of "top". Therefore I consider the title to be misleading. The 2 stars are for the hospital rating, I would give no stars for doctors' ratings. Returning the book. I consider the yearly US News and World Report issue on top medical centers more useful. If you are choosing a doctor, it's still word of mouth. The best mouths would probably be nurses at your nearby hospital.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Ready for Prime Time. I'd give HealthGrades a C-, July 3, 2008

By	Dave C. Stone (Marshall, MN United States) - See all my reviews

Sorry, HealthGrades. I felt I had wasted my purchase. The book is incomplete - especially regarding the physicians included.. apparently only those who responded to your surveys. Otherwise just publicly available Hospital info.

As a benefits consultant starving for good quality data.. I was not satisfied. Wait for the next edition.