Angioplast-me

[richlevy]

So I went in for a stress test last month. I had one two years ago with no issue. This time, they found that there might be an issue.

The plan is for me to get a catherterization. If they find an issue, they do the angioplasty and I spend an extra day in the hospital.

My issue is that the specialist is in Delaware and I'm in PA. It turns out the hospital choices are Christiana down in south DE, and Saint Francis, which is nearer to PA. If there is a complication, I will be half a state away from my family.

The issue is that, while Delaware doesn't do medical report cards, their are third party rating agencies. Healthgrades gave St. Francis 1 star instead of the normal 3. So, unless I switch doctors and run around trying to get a better choice, I can be far away from home or wonder at what went in to the hospital only getting one star. It could be that they have a large percentage of elderly patients, inmates, or people in poor health.

Does St. Francis agree with Health Grades? They do when the report is good. Look at this press release for areas of care where they got a good report.

It's a tough call for me. The hospital is not some pit. They do good work in many areas. I'm just not sure about the numbers behind the grade.