Pennsylvania residents who want to check the performance of their local hospitals now have an option. They can visit Medicare's Hospital Compare website, a site that lists the patient safety ratings for hospitals across the country.

The site lists several problems that could potentially lead to medical malpractice lawsuits, everything from elevated rates of surgical complications and infections to avoidable deaths, according to a feature story on the MSNBC website. Medicare is publishing this information as a first step toward paying out fewer dollars to those hospitals that have high rates of these potentially serious problems.

According to the MSNBC story, the Medicare website evaluates hospitals according to how often their patients suffer complications such as blood clots following surgery or accidental cuts or tears during medical treatment. The site also lists death rates for patients who experienced problems breathing after surgery, underwent an operation to repair abdominal aorta weakness or have suffered a complication that is treatable after an operation.

Hospital Compare also lists the rates of specific medical errors such as providing a patient blood that is the wrong type or leaving surgical implements in patients' bodies after surgeries, according to MSNBC.

This website might not be popular with hospitals — after all, even the best hospitals across the country are bound to generate some negative publicity thanks to the site — but it does offer consumers a valuable tool when they are selecting hospitals. In the information age, hospitals need to understand that their potential patients are now armed with more valuable knowledge than ever.

Source: msnbc.com, "How safe is your hospital? New website lets you check," Jordan Rau, Oct. 17, 2011