Dr. Peter Lund, M.D., left, gets prepared for orthopedic surgery Tuesday with the help of Certified Surgical Assistant Arlene Plemons at Parkridge Medical Center.VIDEO
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MAKING THE GRADEHow did Consumer Reports rank area hospitals in 2013?• Parkridge Medical Center —“Good”• Erlanger Medical Care —“Poor”• Memorial Health Care System — “Poor”• Hamilton Medical Center (Dalton, Ga.) — “Good”How can I research hospitals?• Hospital Compare, Department of Health & Human Services (free)medicare.gov/hospitalcompare• Leapfrog Groupleapfroghospitalsurvey.org (free)• Truven Top 100 Hospitals100tophospitals.com (paid report access)• Healthgradeshealthgrades.com• Consumer Reports, September 2013 issueor consumerreports.org (subscription required)
Consumer Reports, the well-known authority on consumer items like votive candles, lawnmowers and oatmeal, released its first nationwide review of surgical care in America’s hospitals.
And Chattanooga’s hospital are urging a second opinion.
None of the Scenic City’s three major hospitals — Erlanger, Parkridge and Memorial — ranked better than “Good,” the middle result indicated as a plain white circle halfway between possible “Better” and “Worse” ratings in the Yonkers, N.Y. publication.