The release of new information on the website of the United States Department of Health and Human Services will allow Americans to better compare the quality of care available at various hospitals.
According to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, medical imaging was a particular focus of the new data. “This new update to [the] Hospital Compare feature will assist patients and their families in more accurately comparing quality at America’s hospitals.” And, thanks to this new update, Medicare patients can see for the first time how efficiently facilities use certain types of imaging equipment, keeping them safe from potentially harmful radiation that may not be necessary,” Sebelius says.
The information, according to HHS, should help counteract what it calls the overuse of MRI and CT technology in diagnosis, which can expose patients to dangerous levels of radiation if used incorrectly.
Consumers who can make more informed decisions about their health care are generally healthier. This can have an impact not only on their health and life insurance premiums, but also on their quality of life and longevity.