New Database Strives To Take Guesswork Out Of Cancer Operation Choices
The website allows patients to search which hospitals in their area have performed their cancer procedure most frequently. "We have heard hospital leaders say, 'We have really good outcomes here, even though the volumes are low,'" independent health consultant Maryann O'Sullivan said. "But that is like gambling."
The San Jose Mercury News:
Cancer Surgeries In California Hospitals: Is There Safety In Numbers?
It sounds logical: People facing cancer surgery probably want to know which hospitals in their area perform their cancer operation most frequently. But until recently little information has been publicly available to help patients figure out where to go. Now, however, Californians can access that data readily because a research team funded by the nonprofit California HealthCare Foundation has made it easily searchable through a website: www.CalQualityCare.org. (Seipel, 2/26)