 A recent survey by U.S. News and World Report ranks the top hospitals in the United States. The 2009 rankings are based on several factors, including the hospital's mortality index: How good are they at keeping their patients alive? Obviously, patients are very interested in that statistic; but health insurers also want to know when they are determining which hospitals to include in their network. Hospitals included in major health insurance companies' plans will see more customers and revenue than those out-of-network. A positive reputation among doctors is greatly coveted and also plays a large role in a hospital's rank, since medical professionals are presumably more knowledgeable and better able to judge their quality. Other elements of a high-quality hospital are the availability of advanced medical technology, its experience in certain specialties, the quality and ratio of nursing staff, and other patient services. Finally, top hospitals take great care to keep their patients as safe as possible. After all, nobody--especially an insurer--wants to pay to fix another hospital's mistakes.
So which hospitals are the best in America, and why?
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