CalHospitalCompare
Overall Rating:
 VERY GOOD

 

Overview

CalHospitalCompare is the result of a partnership between three independent organizations dedicated to improving health care quality:

  • The California HealthCare Foundation
  • The University of California at San Francisco Institute for Health Policy Studies
  • The California Hospitals Assessment and Reporting Taskforce (CHART).

This site includes ratings for clinical care, patient safety, and patient experience for the 210 hospitals in California that have chosen to participate in this important voluntary project. 

CalHospitalCompare is the result of a two-year collaboration by the California Hospital Assessment and Reporting Taskforce (CHART), whose members include hospitals, health plans, doctors and nurses, consumer groups, employers, and the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF). The data collection and analysis was performed by the University of California, San Francisco's Institute for Health Policy Studies.
What is it? Hospital Report Card, containing self-reported and patient survey data
Who does it? Three independent organizations – funded by major health plans
What is it based upon? 50 performance indicators, such as patient satisfaction and surgery outcomes
Web site: http://www.calhospitalcompare.org/

 

Our Ratings
(Ratings are on a 1 to 5 scale, 5 is the best)
Usefulness
 CalHospitalCompare.org is probably the most complete Hospital Report Card available to consumers free of charge.
Methodology

The report is based on standardized measures and developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), and National Quality Forum (NQF).

Timeliness

The web site is vague on timeliness, but it appears that the team understands its importance: “ The information is the most current available; most measures reflect data from 2005-2006. The site will be updated on a regular basis and the next update is planned for June 2007. ” If you read the fine print, you will see that Coronary Artery Bypass data (CABG) are from the 2003 calendar year.

Coverage

209 California hospitals, representing 70% of all hospital admissions in the state of California, participate in this voluntary program. CalHospitalCompare.org identifies 161 California hospitals that do not participate.

Accessibility

Reports are available through CalHospitalCompare, free of charge, without requiring user registration.

   

What You Need To Know

“CalHospitalCompare offers up-to-date, comprehensive information from multiple sources in an easy-to-use online format available without a fee. The site was tested in focus groups to determine which format was easiest for consumers to understand. New data available for the first time on CalHospitalCompare includes 27 patient satisfaction measures reported by the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) as well as 9 additional measures of patient experience. All measures are aligned with current national initiatives such as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and the National Quality Forum (NQF).”

 

Evaluation Date: 3/11/07

Contact:

California HealthCare Foundation

476 Ninth Street

Oakland , CA 94607

510.238.1040

510.238.1388 (fax)