Not all Hospitals are the Same: Five Things to Look for In a Hospital

Not all hospitals are the same – and even the highest rated among them may not have the services you are looking for. Others may be “out of network” or your doctor may not have privilege there.  When looking for a hospital, it’s important to find the one that is right for you. Here are five things to look for when you are selecting a hospital.

# 1 Your primary doctor’s recommendation

Your primary physician’s recommendation is invaluable in your search for the best hospital. Ask what facilities your doctor recommends and what makes them great in their opinion. The recommendation could be due to an excellent experience being treated in the facility or that their colleagues also work in this facility. Ultimately, this helps narrow down your list.

#2 Renown at treating your condition

Many hospitals — even though approved to treat for any variety of ailments — specialize in treating specific conditions. Some facilities are renown cancer treatment centers while others are recognized for their research on cardiovascular disease. For what conditions will you be needing treatment? The facility might be a little farther or out of the way – maybe even out of state – but what matters more is that you get treated by the best in the field. This should help further narrow down your short list.

#3 Recognition

The more recognition a hospital has, the better. A hospital may be awarded for the competency of the medical practitioners in treating specific diseases. The American College of Cardiology has accredited chest pain centers that have shown competence in treating patients with heart attack symptoms. IBM/Watson recognizes top-performing hospitals in the country. The hospitals that made the cut in the latest report all had better risk-adjusted outcomes. They were also able to maintain a lower than average cost per patient.

The more research you do before deciding on a hospital, the more confident you’ll be in your decision and the more likely you’ll get the quality care you seek.

#4 A Variety of Services

It’s important for a hospital to offer a breadth and depth of services, making referrals easy and convenient. It also ensures that medical professionals can confer with colleagues in real time, thereby providing you expert second opinions and truly researched and agreed upon medical diagnoses. A full-service medical facility should offer both acute and chronic care, as well as a comprehensive range of inpatient and outpatient services. It also helps to offer a network of medical care, ensuring you are covered no matter where you with personal and individualized care.

#5 Telehealth

Does your hospital offer Telehealth? For those who are infirmed, need non-emergency diagnostics or advice, or need to be seen outside office hours, Telehealth offers a convenient, 24×7 opportunity to be seen by a medical professional, in the privacy of your home or office. Telehealth is conducted through a downloadable App that is HIPAA compliant. If your hospital doesn’t offer a Telehealth option, consider the convenience of one that does.

Highly-Rated Hospital in Wayne County, Ohio

Wooster Community Hospital is a full-service facility renowned for providing award-winning quality health care to the residents of Wayne County, Ohio. Wooster Community Hospital provides the care you need with world-class medical professionals. With specialties ranging from wound and urgent care to diagnostics, women’s health and pain management, we are proud to report that, of the more than 3,000 hospitals located throughout the United States, Wooster Community Hospital is ranked in the top 2 percent on measures such as overall performance and commitment to continuous improvement. We are always expanding our facilities and adding to the services we provide to meet the individual needs of patients, to include a Telehealth option for non-emergency medical care. Our friendly staff at Wooster Community Hospital is happy to serve you at any of our six locations. Give us a call at (330) 263-8144 or check out our Website for everything we have to offer.