Physician-owned hospitals fight back, tout top consumer rankings

New hospital ratings by Consumer Reports reveal that hospitals owned and operated by physicians rank among the best in the country.

This comes as welcome news to those who favor these organizations, which are now facing Congressional scrutiny as health reform proposals progress on Capitol Hill.

Consumer Reports, an independent testing and research organization, released a study last week based on comments from more than 1 million patients around the country. The report found that patients prefer the quality of care received at physician-owned and -operated hospitals.

"Physician-owned and -operated hospitals are clearly among the best in America," said Molly Sandvig, executive director of Physician Hospitals of America (PHA). "It is clear that the only reason physician hospitals are being attacked is to take away competition in the hospital market place. President Barack Obama acknowledges that competition is healthy in the insurance industry – the same absolutely holds true for hospitals."

Sandvig said the study should have an impact on anyone considering patient satisfaction and quality of healthcare issues. "It is neither logical nor acceptable for Congress to do away with a healthcare option that citizens have consistently said they prefer," she said.

In the report, physician-owned hospitals were ranked as the top hospital by consumers in 19 states; 20 states do not have physician-owned hospitals.

Physician-owned hospitals received the top ranking, according to the report, in:

• Arkansas (the top two and four of the top seven are physician-owned);
• Arizona (four of the top five hospitals);
• California (the top two hospitals);
• Colorado;
• Idaho (the top two and three of the top four hospitals);
• Indiana (the top two and four of the top five hospitals);
• Kansas (the top five and 10 of the top 13 hospitals);
• and Louisiana (the top nine hospitals).