Web Site Tracks Procedures in California Hospitals

Wondering how many thyroidectomies are done in Sacramento? Curious about how many babies are delivered at hospitals in Los Angeles? California Choice Outcomes allows you to specify a procedure and a town or zip code, then see how many of that procedure are performed at hospitals in that area and get additional information.

To get to the comparison site, go to http://calchoice.sqctool.com/index.aspx , then choose whether or not you want Kaiser Permanente hospitals included. Once you've done that, you'll
get procedure options in several categories including heart, lungs, and mothers & babies. You are then asked to specify a town and an area radius.

I tried the thyroidectomy within 20 miles of Sacramento. I got a table of 14 results which include site name, city/state, distance, number of patients, and a checkbox for comparing results. Only those sites which have done more than ten of the procedures are available for comparison -- in this case five.

When you choose to compare sites you're asked to weigh several factors, including number of patients treated, mortality rates, and length of stay. When you've done that, you'll get a ranking of the hospitals in each of those categories, along with an overall ranking. This result page has an excellent explanation of all the listings on the page. From here you can also click on the hospital name and get additional information.

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