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You can see Consumer Report's comparison of hospitals in terms of their practices related to chronic conditions. This information is not designed as an indicator of quality, but it can provide consumers an idea about aggressive versus conservative practices.
The data you'll see, from The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care, shows that not every hospital practices conservative care. Many patients with these long-term serious illnesses are repeatedly hospitalized and seen by many different physicians. The Dartmouth research has shown that aggressive care does not necessarily improve patient outcomes and can sometimes shorten life. That's because it exposes people to a greater risk of hospital-acquired infections and medical errors that can occur when too many doctors test and treat patients in an uncoordinated way.
It's important to understand that the distinction between aggressive and conservative care does not apply to medical emergencies such as a heart attack, stroke, broken hip or inflamed appendix. At DeKalb Medical, we address these conditions immediately and with the full arsenal of treatments at our command.
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