In our changing world of medicine, patients are encouraged to learn about their diagnosis, ask
questions and take an active role in their healthcare. Doctors at Sound Inpatient Physicians in Tacoma, Wash., have created a list of 10 ways to improve your inpatient experience and contribute to your rapid recovery and timely discharge.

1. Learn about your illness. A lack of knowledge can increase anxiety and lead to feelings of helplessness. Ask your physician to write down your diagnosis and list your medications (if necessary) and provide you with an educational brochure, or recommend a website. Don’t hesitate to take notes. Some people even keep a health journal with dated entries.

2. Introduce yourself to new caregivers and staff. The hospital is a complex environment with many people working multiple shifts. Don’t hesitate to ask caregivers and ancillary hospital staff to identify themselves and show their hospital identification badge. Every employee is required to wear one.

3. Write down your questions and concerns as you think of them. You want to be sure all of your questions and concerns are addressed when you have the full attention of your doctor. Unanswered questions can increase your anxiety about the unknown and often lead to unnecessary worry. Involving your doctor in the conversation will empower you to better cope with your hospital experience. Keeping a daily health journal while you are hospitalized can help you organize your thoughts, questions and other information.

4. Ask your physician about the plan for the day. Knowing what to expect throughout your day can help reduce your stress and offer you insight into your care. It gives you an opportunity to ask further questions you may have. Be sure to let your doctor or nurse know if you have any concerns.

5. Ask a trusted family member or friend to be your health advocate. Decision making may be difficult or impractical due to medications or the severity of your condition when you are hospitalized. An advocate can provide comfort and support. If necessary, consider obtaining legal counsel to set up documents that allow another to act on your behalf should you be unable.

6. Participate in the decisions about your treatment as much as possible. If you understand your illness and have your questions answered, you will feel more empowered to discuss your tests and treatment plan. Make sure you and your advocate understand the plan for your treatment.

7. Sleep as much as possible. Rest is of vital importance on the road to recovery. Ironically, getting a good night’s sleep in a hospital sometimes can be difficult. Therefore, regardless of the hour, take the opportunity to catnap or rest whenever possible.

8. Participate in your recovery. There are parts of your treatment plan over which you have complete control, such as sitting up and trying to walk. It is essential to follow the plan given by your caretakers. It will
speed your recovery process, give your physician vital insight into your condition and contribute to a timely discharge. The recovery and rehab phase is not the most glamorous time in your life. But focusing on your
recovery will contribute greatly to your quality of life.

9. Tell your family and friends when to visit. If they have questions or concerns, the best time to visit is between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. The day staff – those most familiar with your care – is usually still on duty. Of course, we encourage you to invite a friendly face to brighten your day anytime during the hospital’s posted visiting hours.

10. Follow your discharge orders regarding medications, treatments and appointments. The road to health as a continuum cannot be emphasized enough. Your hospitalist, or hospital-based physician, discharges you with the assumption you will be evaluated by your personal physician or specialist soon after discharge as well as receive specific medications. The hospitalist’s duty is to make you well enough to receive outpatient care. Your discharge simply means you no longer require the level of care the hospital provides. Simply put, full compliance with your doctor’s orders is vital to your full recovery. It is your responsibility to follow your discharge instructions so as to ensure your continued improvement.

For more information, visit Sound Inpatient Physicians on the web.

Source: Sound Inpatient Physicians

Thomson Reuters released its annual study identifying hospitals that demonstrated the fastest, most consistent improvement in the nation over five consecutive years. Nine of the 100 leading hospitals are in Texas. Florida and New York are each home to eight, and Pennsylvania boasts seven. Kentucky and Tennessee each have six winning hospitals, and California and Michigan have five apiece.

The study rated hospitals on eight factors — patient mortality, medical complications, patient safety, length of stay, expenses, profitability, cash-to-debt ratio, and use of evidence-based medicine. Researchers evaluated 2,867 short-term, acute care, non-federal hospitals grouped into five categories: major teaching hospitals, other teaching hospitals, large community hospitals, medium-sized community hospitals, and small community hospitals.

Here are the winning hospitals, by category:

Major Teaching Hospitals

• University Medical Center – Tucson, AZ
• Christiana Care Health System – Wilmington, DE
• Shands at the University of Florida – Gainesville, FL
• University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics – Iowa City, IA
• Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center – Boston, MA
• Baystate Medical Center – Springfield, MA
• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center – Boston, MA
• Henry Ford Hospital – Detroit, MI
• The Mount Sinai Medical Center – New York, NY
• New York Hospital Queens – Flushing, NY
• Westchester Medical Center – Valhalla, NY
• Duke University Hospital – Durham, NC
• Allegheny General Hospital – Pittsburgh, PA
• Vanderbilt University Medical Center – Nashville, TN
• Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center – Houston, TX

Teaching Hospitals

• St. Bernards Medical Center – Jonesboro, AR
• St. Anthony Central Hospital – Denver, CO
• Florida Hospital – Orlando, FL
• Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare – Tallahassee, FL
• OSF Saint Francis Medical Center – Peoria, IL
• Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center-South Bend – South Bend, IN
• Via Christi Regional Medical Center – Wichita, KS
• Bronson Methodist Hospital – Kalamazoo, MI
• St. Joseph Mercy Oakland – Pontiac, MI
• McLaren Regional Medical Center – Flint, MI
• St. Cloud Hospital – St. Cloud, MN
• Valley Hospital Medical Center – Las Vegas, NV
• Saint Barnabas Medical Center – Livingston, NJ
• Altru Hospital – Grand Forks, ND
• Providence St. Vincent Medical Center – Portland, OR
• Saint Vincent Health Center – Erie, PA
• Heritage Valley Beaver – Beaver, PA
• PinnacleHealth – Harrisburg, PA
• Robert Packer Hospital – Sayre, PA
• Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis – Memphis, TN
• CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi – Corpus Christi, TX
• Methodist Dallas Medical Center – Dallas, TX
• Medical Center Hospital – Odessa, TX
• Corpus Christi Medical Center – Corpus Christi, TX
• Meriter Hospital – Madison, WI

Large Community Hospitals

• Jackson Hospital – Montgomery, AL
• Alta Bates Summit Medical Center – Oakland, CA
• St. Bernardine Medical Center – San Bernardino, CA
• Saddleback Memorial Medical Center – Laguna Hills, CA
• NCH Downtown Naples Hospital – Naples, FL
• Flagler Hospital – St. Augustine, FL
• Boca Raton Community Hospital – Boca Raton, FL
• Rockford Memorial Hospital – Rockford, IL
• Hardin Memorial Hospital – Elizabethtown, KY
• Western Baptist Hospital – Paducah, KY
• Shady Grove Adventist Hospital – Rockville, MD
• Allegiance Health – Jackson, MI
• Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare – New Hartford, NY
• Orange Regional Medical Center – Goshen, NY
• Rex Healthcare – Raleigh, NC
• Genesis HealthCare System – Zanesville, OH
• Saint Thomas Hospital – Nashville, TN
• Citizens Medical Center – Victoria, TX
• CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System – Texarkana, TX
• Providence Everett Medical Center – Everett, WA

Medium Community Hospitals

• Brooksville Regional Hospital – Brooksville, FL
• Oconee Regional Medical Center – Milledgeville, GA
• Adventist GlenOaks Hospital – Glendale Heights, IL
• Mary Greeley Medical Center – Ames, IA
• Murray-Calloway County Hospital – Murray, KY
• Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center – Danville, KY
• Saint Joseph East – Lexington, KY
• Grenada Lake Medical Center – Grenada, MS
• Bolivar Medical Center – Cleveland, MS
• San Juan Regional Medical Center – Farmington, NM
• Olean General Hospital – Olean, NY
• St. James Mercy Hospital – Hornell, NY
• Rutherford Hospital, Inc. – Rutherfordton, NC
• Medcenter One Hospital – Bismarck, ND
• Pocono Medical Center – East Stroudsburg, PA
• Cookeville Regional Medical Center – Cookeville, TN
• Paris Regional Medical Center – Paris, TX
• Carilion New River Valley Medical Center – Christiansburg, VA
• Aurora West Allis Medical Center – West Allis, WI
• Aurora BayCare Medical Center – Green Bay, WI

Small Community Hospitals

• St. Elizabeth Community Hospital – Red Bluff, CA
• Doctors Hospital of Manteca – Manteca, CA
• Jackson County Hospital District – Marianna, FL
• The King’s Daughters’ Hospital & Health Services – Madison, IN
• St. Joseph Regional Medical Center-Plymouth – Plymouth, IN
• Newton Medical Center – Newton, KS
• Mercy Regional Health Center – Manhattan, KS
• Baptist Hospital Northeast – LaGrange, KY
• Falmouth Hospital – Falmouth, MA
• Trace Regional Hospital – Houston, MS
• Hannibal Regional Hospital – Hannibal, MO
• Northern Montana Hospital – Havre, MT
• Corning Hospital – Corning, NY
• INTEGRIS Baptist Regional Health Center – Miami, OK
• Gettysburg Hospital – Gettysburg, PA
• St. Mary’s Healthcare Center – Pierre, SD
• St. Mary’s Medical Center of Campbell County – LaFollette, TN
• Baptist Hospital of Cocke County – Newport, TN
• Ennis Regional Medical Center – Ennis, TX
• Aurora Medical Center – Two Rivers, WI

For more information, go to Thomson Reuters.

Source: Thomson Reuters

They also list the top pediatric hospitals in America (Children’s Hospital of Philadephia is tops in “general pediatrics,”) and break pediatric hospital rankings into six specialty areas as well.

In addition to their listings, and explanations of their methodology, the magazine has articles and photo essays about top hospitals and medical care. Out of 5,453 hospitals nationwide, only 170 make the cut to appear on any of the magazine’s lists.

The magazine’s top 19 American hospitals (which scored high rankings in six or more specialty areas) are:

1. Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore (pictured)

2. Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

3. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles

4. Cleveland Clinic

5. Massachusetts General in Boston

6. New York Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell

7. University of California, San Francisco Medical Center

8. Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston

tie for 8. Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.

10. Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia

tie for 10. University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle

12. Barnes Jewish Hospital/Washington University in St. Louis

13. University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers in Ann Arbor, Mich.

14. UPMC, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

15. Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville

16. Stanford Hospital and Clinics in Stanford, Calif.

17. University of Chicago Medical Center

18. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles

19. Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Conn.

Within the U.S. News & World Report list, each hospital named is linked to a more detailed page about that hospital and its qualifications. For the entire report, including podcasts, video and audio, as well as lots of other detailed health information, including all lists and stories from the magazine, check here.