How does HealthGrades rate healthcare providers?
We assembled a team of healthcare information and analysis experts, including Susan DesHarnais, Ph.D., to develop the company’s objective ratings. Dr. DesHarnais has spent more than 16 years developing methods and publishing articles on risk-adjusting healthcare outcomes data. We compile outcomes data from dozens of independent public and private sources and translate it into easily understandable, objective report card ratings on providers. For hospitals, the company utilizes advanced information management and statistical techniques to process and risk-adjust a large volume of patient level data. We risk-adjust the data in order to make valid and accurate comparisons between providers, taking into account that the demographic characteristics of patients and the severity of patients’ illnesses may vary at different locations. This levels the playing field, for example, between hospitals that treat sicker patients vs. those that treat healthier patients. Our hospital ratings use data f
