Strong infection-prevention results
Review reported bloodstream, urinary tract, surgical-site, MRSA, and C. difficile infections.
Before you compare hospitals
10 safety topics to look for
Use these topics as a practical lens while reviewing public reports and speaking with hospitals. Look for patterns across several sources and focus on the care you need.
Low rates of preventable complications
Look for information about falls, pressure injuries, blood clots, surgical complications, and other patient harm.
Clear communication
Check patient survey results for nurse and physician communication, medication explanations, and staff responsiveness.
Safe discharge and follow-up
Look for practices that help patients understand medications, warning signs, appointments, and whom to call after discharge.
Experience with the care you need
Ask how often the hospital and clinician provide the treatment and what outcomes they track.
Specialists and services when needed
Ask about nights and weekends, intensive care, anesthesia, imaging, laboratory services, and specialty backup.
Systems that prevent medication errors
Ask how the hospital verifies medications, allergies, doses, and changes during admission, transfers, and discharge.
Accreditation and specialty certification
Confirm that a recognition applies to the exact hospital location and service being considered.
Transparent answers about current results
Compare results on the original public reporting sites with information on the hospital’s website, advertising, or social media. If they differ—or the hospital promotes an older, more favorable CMS star rating or Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade—ask which result is current, why it changed, and what the hospital is doing to improve.
A clear way to raise safety concerns
Ask whom patients and families should contact, how concerns are escalated, and whether they can request a rapid clinical review.
Understanding safety topics in public reports
These brief explanations can help you understand terms and prepare questions before choosing care. Open a topic relevant to your needs. This is a selected list, not a ranking of the most common complications or a complete list of risks.
Infections associated with healthcare
What it means: Infections can develop while or soon after receiving care. Examples include surgical-site infections and infections involving a urinary catheter or a central line in a vein. Some involve antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as MRSA.
What public information can tell you: CMS reports selected hospital infection measures. Check the infection type, reporting period, and comparison with the national benchmark. These results do not cover every infection or predict your personal risk.
Question to ask: What infection results are available for the care I need, and what has changed since those results were collected?
Learn more: CDC: About healthcare-associated infections · CDC: Surgical-site infections
Medication-related harm
What it means: Medicines can cause harm through an error, such as an incorrect dose, or through a harmful reaction even when used correctly. Not every adverse drug event means an error occurred.
What public information can tell you: A hospital-wide rating or patient survey does not provide a complete medication-harm rate. Medication explanations in patient surveys describe communication, not whether every medicine was prescribed or given correctly.
Question to ask: How does your team check my medications and allergies, and explain changes when I arrive, transfer, or go home?
Learn more: AHRQ PSNet: Medication errors and adverse drug events
Blood clots in veins
What it means: A clot in a deep vein, often in the leg, is called deep vein thrombosis (DVT). A clot that travels to the lungs is a pulmonary embolism (PE). Surgery, reduced movement, and other health factors can increase risk; clots can occur after discharge.
What public information can tell you: Selected CMS surgical-complication measures address blood clots, but apply to defined patient groups and procedures. A combined complication result does not necessarily show a separate blood-clot rate.
Question to ask: How do you assess blood-clot risk for someone having my care, and what plan and follow-up would be appropriate for me?
Learn more: CDC: Healthcare-associated blood clots · CMS: Understanding hospital complication measures
Falls and injuries
What it means: Illness, medications, changes in mobility, and unfamiliar surroundings can contribute to falls during care or recovery.
What public information can tell you: Some public reports address falls or injuries, sometimes within a combined measure. Check what was counted and which patients were included; do not interpret a missing result as zero falls.
Question to ask: How do you assess fall risk and arrange safe assistance during the stay and planning for discharge?
Learn more: WHO: Patient safety
Pressure injuries (bedsores)
What it means: Pressure injuries damage skin and underlying tissue when pressure persists, often over a bony area. People with limited movement may be especially vulnerable.
What public information can tell you: CMS hospital complication information includes a measure of selected serious pressure injuries in a defined inpatient population. It does not describe every skin problem or every patient’s risk.
Question to ask: How do you assess skin and pressure-injury risk, and how are concerns identified and addressed?
Learn more: WHO: Patient safety · CMS: Understanding hospital complication measures
Surgical and procedural complications
What it means: Complications can include bleeding, unintended injury, infection, or a need for additional care. The relevant risks differ by procedure and the person’s health.
What public information can tell you: CMS reports selected complication outcomes, including a combined hip/knee replacement measure. It does not provide a complete, procedure-specific result for every operation at every hospital.
Question to ask: Which complications do you track for my exact procedure, how do your results compare, and who responds if a complication occurs?
Learn more: CMS: Understanding hospital complication measures
Sudden confusion (delirium)
What it means: Delirium is a sudden change in attention, awareness, or thinking that can fluctuate. It is different from dementia, although both can occur together. It can accompany serious illness or surgery and is often temporary.
What public information can tell you: The CMS reports used by this guide do not provide a dedicated, comparable hospital delirium rate. Ask directly about assessment, care practices, and how families are involved.
Question to ask: How does your team identify delirium risk, recognize changes promptly, and involve the patient and family?
Learn more: NICE: Delirium guidance
These explanations support informed conversations; they do not assess your personal risk or provide treatment instructions. Ask your care team for advice specific to you. For an emergency, seek immediate medical help.
Download the comparison worksheet to record your questions and answers.