In Los Angeles County, restaurant quality is graded with a sign displayed in the window “A”, “B”, or “C”. Why don’t we similarly grade hospitals during this pandemic?
Our newspaper provides local hospital statistics concerning COVID-19 patients admitted, discharged, and passed away (maintaining confidentiality). The public should know how well their hospital does against this virus, and be able to compare to other hospitals.
Outside our valley, I am unable to find this data.
You would think all hospitals care for patients in the same way, and certainly there are standards that must be followed. But many policies and procedures are developed “in-house” by doctors and administrators that could result in varied outcomes. Providing simple hospital statistics to the public allows patients to make comparisons.
One piece of hidden data not revealed should be how many older adults with COVID-19 are placed on hospice. This factor can easily be manipulated by hospital administrators, HMO facilities, and contracted doctors who might be dangled by monetary incentives (previously discussed in Doctor’s Diary).
Most hospital food will get a “C” rating, but when it comes to patient care, we need all hospitals to be an “A”.
Gene Uzawa Dorio, M.D.
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