Boston Herald, October 9, 2005, By Jessica Heslam -- Today the Boston Herald debuts its Hospital Report Card. Our top-notch health-care facilities attract patients from around the world - but they're not identical. Care varies from hospital to hospital, and medical experts say patients should do the research before picking a hospital. It's a choice, they say, that could be a matter of life or death.

- The Herald used information from three well-regarded online hospital ratings databases - the government-sponsored Hospital Compare, Subimo's Healthcare Advisor and HealthGrades Inc. - to help you find the best treatment in Greater Boston, from baby deliveries to heart-bypass surgery.

"There's no doubt that, for many different types of care, Boston remains one of the best places to get health care," said Dr. Ashish Jha, assissant professor of health policy and management at the Harvard School of Public Health.

However, "the quality of care varies across hospitals, and you want to maximize your chances of doing well," Jha said. "Picking your hospital carefully can have a profound impact on whether you live or die."

Jha recently examined the quality of care at U.S. hospitals using information collected from the Hospital Quality Alliance, which runs the Hospital Compare site.

The good news is that Hub hospitals continue to rank among the best. But there are still areas where we need improvement, Jha said.

Boston provided the best care in the country for patients with heart attacks or congestive heart failure, but did a lot worse in pneumonia care, Jha found.

"There are still areas that we need to improve, and sometimes it's the simple things we're not doing as well as we should be," Jha said.

Patients receive the best care when they get involved in their own health and understand the decisions that must be made, said Mary Hennings, director of market planning and product innovation for BlueCross BlueShield of Massachusetts. BlueCross offers members an online hospital comparison tool that compares hospitals by diagnosis.

"It's important for people to be aware of provider choice, and it's important for them to become involved in their care and make sound decisions around their care options," Hennings added.

Ronald Hollander, president of the Massachusetts Hospital Association, said that while it's important for people to research hospitals, the key is to make sure they're getting good information.

"The last thing we want to do is give people information that is confusing or misleading," Hollander said. "We need to come together and focus on common measures."

In the coming months, Massachusetts will become the first state in the country to post hospital staffing plans and outcome measures related to staffing, on the Web site www.patientsfirstma.com.

The Hub's first-class care is a responsibility, not just a legacy, said Hollander, emphasizing that hospitals must set the standards - not simply meet them.

"We have to invest in our leadership and invest in our system," Hollander said.

Subimo's Healthcare Advisor Web site provides information on more than 5,000 hospitals and more than 100 medical conditions and procedures.

"We have tools that let a customer decide what's important to them. You get to pick what you care about," said David Shevock, vice president of marketing for the Chicago-based company Subimo.

Consumers can choose from dozens of health topics. The site uses a 0 to 100 score, indicating the closeness of the match to search factors.

The site, www.myhealthcareadvisor.com, allows users to choose their best match factors. We put the following categories at a high importance: treated more patients, had fewer patients with complications, is a teaching hospital, has many high technology services, has an intensive care unit and has a critical care unit for heart problems.

The data are based on Medicare records, hospital discharge data, Health Forum data (an affiliate of the American Hospital Association), regional data sources, hospital input and other sources.

Healthcare Advisor is available to consumers for $24.