FAQ
Why is my hospital not listed? Back to the Top
Hospitals are listed if they had a certain number of episodes of care that took place within the specific timeframe and population studied. Setting a minimum episode requirement allows for a fair comparison using the sample size. Â The minimum number of episodes vary from episode to episode and data set to data set. In the analysis of commercial claims data, for example, a hospital was only listed if it had the minimum number of episodes of care among its commercially insured patients.
The Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC) also has other tools to help you compare hospitals by cost and quality. For more visit Maryland Hospital Compare and Top 25 Medical Conditions & Charges (By Payer)
What is a Potentially Avoidable Complication (PAC)? Back to the Top
A PAC is an event that could cause harm to a patient and one that could have potentially been avoided.
What is an episode? Back to the Top
An episode of care brings together all of the treatment for a medical need. It includes all covered services across all the medical providers that treat a patient for a condition, procedure, or illness.
Many services are classified as typical because they are routine for the episode. Other services can be classified as complications from the procedure. That means the costs of services from hospitals, physicians, laboratories, pharmacies, rehabilitation facilities, and more can all be included in an episode as long as those services are associated with the same medical need. Episodes cover a period of time before the procedure is done and another period of time after the patient has been discharged.
What does this mean to you? Back to the Top
An episode captures the costs of all the care you receive from all medical providers, facilities, and prescriptions for a condition, procedure, or illness. When medical claims are grouped into an episode of care, costs become more transparent which enables you to compare the cost of the same care at different hospitals. It also allows medical providers to make the same comparison since the costs are adjusted for differences in the complexity and severity of the patients’ conditions they treat.
Higher cost of care is one reason that health insurance premiums are increasing. You can make a difference when you choose doctors and hospitals that give better care at a lower cost.This site empowers you by providing you the information you need to choose the facilities that will provide you a better quality of care at a lower cost. We urge you to take a more active role in your health care and add your voice to this growing movement by joining the conversation
How does Maryland Price and Quality Compared to Other States? Back to the Top
Compared to other states, the overall variation in the episode costs of selected procedures is lower in Maryland, and the average prices, for the most part, are also lower. Quality measure comparisons point to potential opportunities for improvement in Maryland compared to New Hampshire and Connecticut. In Maryland, as in other states, there is still a significant amount of variation in episode costs among facilities in the state. Visit Maryland Comparison to view details.