Posted by John Behle on January 18, 2003 at 01:53:28:
In Reply to: Re: Just a question posted by Bud Viren on January 17, 2003 at 18:39:02:
The study first weeds out over 4000 hospitals if they are not affiliated with a University, are a teaching hospital or do not cover at least 9 of the 17 specialties.
Some of the WORST hospital experience I have ever had or heard of has been with teaching hospitals. Med students and young doctor "wanna-bes" can make mistakes - sometimes deadly. Our local hospital affiliated with a University I would avoid in any way possible.
Yet, a few blocks away is a "non-affiliated" hospital that is one of the best in the nation in cardiology, except NOT in this study. They have all the synergy of being next to the affiliated hospital, without many of the liabilities and headaches.
In a lifetime around hospitals (medical family) and MANY visits, I have never experienced anything even close to the care and professionalism of LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City. I can't think of a Doctor or team I would even put in the same league as Dr. Millar, though many MAZE surgeons appear to be the top of the top of the top. You'd think MAZE was just shortened from aMAZEing (minus the E).
Anyway, their poll is cute and fun to read, but no one should rule out any hospitals because of it or even make a decision to go to a hospital because of the poll.
Even the hospital I mentioned earlier - that I wasn't as impressed with - was an absolute Pioneer in many forms of Heart Surgerys, especially transplantation and artificial hearts.
So, just keep in mind the criteria of the study. In particular, they summarily dismissed 4000 plus hospitals because of criteria that may make their study easier, but also may skew it.
- Re: With some exceptions ********** Carl Plaskett 10:08:02 1/18/2003 (0)