Hospital comparison Web sites aren't helping; how do we help ourselves?

Miami Herald health care writer John Dorschner's October 29, 2006 column described the difficulties consumers are having when trying to decipher hospital quality measures from comparison Web sites. It indirectly helps make the case for why hospitals ought to be the ones posting this data, not just third parties.

FROM THE ARTICLE >>

"...The hope is that bringing market transparency to healthcare will drive business to the providers that deliver the best care at the lowest price, reducing costs and improving outcomes.

The reality, at least for the moment, is murkier.

Hospital executives dispute the accuracy and meaning of the data, and few consumers are using the information. Even boosters of the transparency movement -- who include government officials, insurance companies and business owners fighting spiraling healthcare costs -- say that what's now available is often confusing and perhaps useless."

(FULL TEXT >> http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/15873434.htm)

From this statement, it is logical to conclude that posting the data is meaningless without wrapping it in consumer-friendly packaging. Just because we're dealing with tons of raw data doesn't mean we can ignore the basic tenets of Web design that make the user experience successful -- intuitive navigation, graphic appeal, logical content groupings, et al.

MORE >>

"Much healthcare information remains hidden, particularly about problem doctors, mistakes in hospitals and the industry's bizarre pricing system. Still, a stunning array of information on hospitals is now available."

So we are making progress in the quantity of data that is posted, but we still have major issues with how to present it.

FINALLY >>

"The hospitals involved say these numbers are misleading. But for many business and political leaders -- from Republican Newt Gingrich to Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton -- this information is key to changing America's healthcare system and reducing soaring costs by allowing consumers to shop for healthcare the way they shop for other goods and services."

Even more of a reason for hospitals to take charge and post the data ourselves! Let's use the data within our own contexts to tell consumers why we are delivering the best care. Don't let consumers rely solely on click-intensive third-party comparison sites. Let's extend marketing strategy to the Web, and tell our own stories in our own words!

In this way, health care organizations can learn from the example of school districts. In Texas, for example, an interested patron can log on to a third-party site like the Texas Education Agency (http://www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/aeis/2006/index.html) and view a comprehensive data set regarding any of the state's 1,300 school districts — helpful, but an incomplete picture of a district's performance. Instead of relying on that, many districts take the time to post test scores and other performance data on their own sites. They complement the data with explanations of meaning.