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 and gourmet meals stand out, public quality-of-care data in most states is scant. Also, patients may assume that fancy facilities signal superior care. As they market themselves in the race to fill beds, hospitals may decide “it’s not about attracting the best doctor,” Goldman says. “It may be about treating patients a little better. Oh, and giving them wireless Internet.”
(BusinessWeek, February 16, 2009. p.20)
According to the passage, new research suggests patients in hospitals expect to find mostly
