According to IT News Online, Consumer Reports magazine has polled health care consumers and, as a result, produced patient satisfaction ratings for hospitals nationwide. Long Island College Hospital was one of those that “fell to the bottom” in the ratings. The poll revealed a negative correlation between patient satisfaction and the “intensity” or aggressiveness of care provided, with patients preferring institutions that provide care on a more “conservative” basis.
“Intensity of care is a critical part of the equation for consumers because it has many implications — if you land in a hospital that is aggressive, that will mean frequent diagnostic tests and doctor visits, more reliance on specialists instead of primary-care doctors, prolonged hospital stays, more days in the ICU, and higher out-of-pocket expenditures, without necessarily improving outcomes,” said Dr. John Santa, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center. Those actions may potentially lead to an increased risk of complications and hospital acquired infections.
Other New York City hospitals cited as having fared poorly in the patient ratings are: Caritas Health Care, in Elmhurst, Queens; Brooklyn Hospital Center at Downtown Campus; and Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center. No New York area hospitals were said in the article to have done well in the ratings.
