Here at Yellow Pages Health Care, we believe that individuals should investigate hospitals long before they are in need of hospital care.

Find one that you are satisfied with, and make sure your doctor has admitting privileges. After you have found your hospital of choice, please check with the Joint Commission on Accrediation of Healthcare Organization (on the web at www.jointcommission.org, or by phone at 630-792-5800) to help substantiate the quality of your choice of facilities.

Here are some questions you may want to ask about the facility:

• Is it a teaching hospital?
• Are there doctors available in most specialties and sub-specialties?
• Does the hospital often treat people with your condition?
• Does a pharmacist participate in daily rounds, at least in the intensive care unit?
• What percentage of the staff physicians are board certified?
• Do the major clinical departments have full-time chiefs?
• What percentage of the nurses are registered nurses (RNs)?

We hope our site will be a quick, useful tool to help you find your hospital. By choosing and investigating a healthcare facility now, you are ensuring that your hospital stay will be one you can be comfortable with, an important factor in your piece of mind during the stressful times of medical difficulties.