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INVALID COMPARISONSINFORMATION IS power -- if it is accurate. Health plans in Eastern Massachusetts are to be commended for offering ratings of hospitals to members, but they need to be sure that data are adjusted for risk and complexity of cases. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care began providing hospital ratings to its members in December through a website devised by the Subimo company. Tufts Health Plan will soon offer its members a similar service through a website of HealthShare Technology.
Visitors to the HealthShare site can easily rank the quality of care at hospitals, but the categories are too broad and may not precisely reflect the difficulty of treatment. People who want to find hospitals with the best records for treating heart attacks are told that Winchester Hospital is number one. The site does not reveal that Winchester sends some of its most complex cases to Massachusetts General Hospital, the Lahey Clinic, and Tufts-New England Medical Center. The Subimo site makes it hard to find the hospital ratings. Visitors must first navigate through explanations of medical conditions and options for care. This is a useful detour for anyone with an ailment. Hospital ratings are broken down for specific treatment. Mass. General ranks number one for coronary bypass surgery, which is not done at Winchester. Anyone with an illness requiring hospitalization should never rely on these rankings alone to determine where to go. Consultation with a physician is essential. Hospitals, if they believe any of the rankings are in error, should complain loudly. Better information is on the way. A special commission of the Department of Public Health is collating data for cardiac procedures at hospitals, with a report on coronary bypass outcomes expected in a few months. Ultimately the state government should assume responsibility for ratings, as it does in Texas, but that will require a financial commitment the state may not be ready to make. In the meantime, health plans need to insist that companies improve their ratings to reflect the complexity of modern treatment. Tufts is now working on fine-tuning the HeathShare website. Plan members deserve the most accurate information possible. © Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company.
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