Nurse, More Caviar

摘要

What do consumers look for in hospitals? New research suggests that plush accommodations may be more of a draw than high-quality care. RAND economists Dana Goldman and John Romley studied the hospital choices of 8,721 Medicare pneumonia patients. They then correlated each facility's popularity among these patients with its mortality rate-a proxy for clinical quality-and the rank its "amenities" scored in a marketing survey. A high amenities score, they found, predicted keen demand much more than a low pneumonia mortality rate did. Why? Goldman says while flat-screen TVs andrngourmet meals stand out, public quality-of-care data in most states is scant.