Finding out rates at hospitals

[MonkeyPrincess]

I need some help.

I'm researching the current rates of interventions at local hospitals. No one I speak to has any idea who would even have that information. They are either snippy towards me, or flabbergasted that I want to know.

Is there a certain department that would be best to ask for?

Also, am I correct in thinking that those numbers are supposed to be available to the public, by law? I have encountered a couple people who said they aren't allowed to give out their statistics.

Thanks so much!

[MeepyCat]

In Massachusetts, they are required, by law, to give that information. I don't know about elsewhere.

[MegBoz]

www.thebirthsurvey.com
CIMS is working on obtaining them everywhere. If you happen to be in MD, I did get the 07 and 08 stats, but I'm not sure if they've formatted & uploaded them yet, so just email me. We get them from the stat departments of health.
NY & a few others do have laws requiring it be disclosed, but not all
People you speak with are probably shocked because they're used to thinking of HIPPA - keeping EVERYTHING private, but it's AGGREGATE data you want (PERCENTAGE of CS, induction, epidural, etc.) & it is perfectly within HIPPA to give that out.

Good luck!

[wombatclay]

Different states have different rules about what information must be provided to the public. In NY you can find the information here.

Depending on what specific intervention you're interested in, you might also find the information via a special interest group (either local or national). For example, ICAN collects c/s and VBAC information and makes it available here. And on a local level, your LLL group, ICAN group, or doula collective may have collected information about interventions at hospitals or with specific providers.

[Evergreen]

You also might want to figure out the rates of the individual doctors' offices who practice at that hospital. It might be easier to get the info from them, you can just say you are interviewing OBs.

[wombatclay]

You also might want to figure out the rates of the individual doctors' offices who practice at that hospital.

That's a very good point... I know many of our local providers keep their own stats and are willing to share (at least some) of those stats with patients or the public. But the local hospital (which also maintains stats by provider) will not release any data that is linked to a specific provider... they only release the overall data for the hospital. And there can be a huge difference between the "overall number" and the "number done by provider X".

For example, when researching vbac for my last birth I knew the overall vbac stats for the hospital... but by talking with individual providers (and doulas, and L&D nurses, and ICAN members) I was able to find out that almost all of those vbacs had been attended by the same provider. Which certainly makes a difference in how the data can be applied!

[callieollie]

I'm interested in finding out what the typical "decision to incision" time is at the two closest hospitals to me but I have no clue who I'd ask. I think most people who would answer the phone would have no idea what I'm talking about!

[Turquesa]

With the exception of two states, New York and Massachusetts, hospitals are under no legal obligation to disclose their data to the public....and in many cases, they're not about to! The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services is trying to get state Health Depts to disclose intervention rates regardless, but some states are refusing to do it and may require legislation similar to NY's and MA's.

By all means, call your hospital and speak to somebody in L&D. But don't be surprised if the response is one of ignorance (chances are, an L&D nurse doesn't even know the hospital's data and can only guesstimate the rates) or flat-out evasion (such as passing you off to different voicemails of people who will never call you back .

If there is more than one hospital in your area, keep in mind that hospitals compete for your business. Maternity care is a huge money-maker for hospitals. So even if you do get an answer, it's likely to be sugar-coated enough so that they don't loose your business. When I called a local hospital, I finally got somebody to cough out a "guesstimate": "Oh, I'd say about 25% of women here get cesareans. But keep in mind that a lot of these are planned in advance." Naturally, she couldn't tell me how many of these "planned" cesareans were based on VBAC denials and "big baby removals."

I'm sorry to sound cynical. Personal experience is definitely coloring my response here. :

[berrymama]

The nurse manager on our unit knows certain statistics...cs rates for sure. You may just be able to call the unit and ask to talk to the nurse manager.

[meganmarie]

I know where to find them for NJ:
http://romancathanachronism.typepad....ean-rate-.html

If you tell us where you are, someone might be able to help you specifically.

Everything above is true - not all states require it; some hospitals and care providers are more willing to share than others. The ones who are evasive - there may be a reason for that.

In calling hospitals, you might try the patient education department.

Good for you trying to do your research. Be persistent. Don't give up.

[AlexisT]

State health departments do collect these statistics and you may be able to get them, though they're often a year or so out of date. My state (Pennsylvania) publishes them on the health department statistics site.

[SaraFR]

Is it possible to get the stats for particular doctors?

[Beppie]

When I called our local hospital 2 years ago, they were also snippy towards me... but finally forwarded my call to the "Director of Nursing" (it's a tiny hospital in a tiny community in Minnesota) ... and she was very vague when I asked her. My question was specifically the percent of cesareans there.

[wombatclay]

Is it possible to get the stats for particular doctors?

Only by asking the care provider in question. The state level data is a compilation of the data given by the individual hospitals, and while individual hospitals certainly have data at the "care provider level" it is not information that a private individual would have access to. At least, not without legal action or willingness on the part of the provider to release the information to the public.