Making It Easy To Size Up A Hospital

Few decisions are more important than what hospital you should choose to treat a serious illness. But most Web resources that rate the quality of care at hospitals dole out data through the sites of health plans or big employers.

That will change on Sept. 1, when Chicago-based Subimo opens MyHealthcareAdvisor.com to the public at $12 for a six-month subscription. The company says the launch is a reaction to a good review BusinessWeek gave Subimo's employer-distributed ratings in June, which produced thousands of requests for a public site. Subimo ranks hospitals from 1 to 100 on factors such as complication rates, cost, and use of technology. For many diseases, it also summarizes research so patients can explore new treatments. "As people pay more of their health-care costs, there's a place for tools that will help them manage their own care," says Subimo Vice-President Joe Donlan.