![]() Two such measures: How often a hospital gives surgical patients treatment to prevent blood clots, and how often heart-attack patients are given aspirin on arrival (two gauges of appropriate care used by Medicare and others that should be followed but aren't always). By entering New York City in the site's search engine, for example, I was able to compare how 17 hospitals in my city performed on various measures of safety and good care. The site is primarily aimed at health professionals, but consumers also can readily check on their local hospitals. ![]() : This new site from the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund compares care at 4,500 hospitals nationwide, using data from Medicare's Hospital Compare Web site and the federal government's Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey. My favorite feature: Fill out an online form on the medications you take, and the institute will send you information on drug-safety ratings, possible interactions among your medications, side effects and reviews from other patients. The site, in partnership with, a free drug-safety-alerting service, allows users to sign up for personalized news alerts on manufacturers' drug recalls and alerts issued by the Food and Drug Administration. It also allows users to report to the institute, anonymously if they prefer, on problems or safety concerns with medications, including adverse reactions. The site offers consumers various methods for learning about medication safety. Here are some free new sites, or ones that have been recently expanded, that are worth checking:Ĭ: This new site is sponsored by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, a nonprofit watchdog group that tracks and analyzes reports, mainly from hospitals and health-care professionals, of medication errors and safety risks. Sites offered by the government and nonprofit groups generally carry no ads, though some nonprofits may receive support from companies or foundations. Consumers should read the privacy policies of the sites carefully and be sure to opt out of any features that share personal information with marketers if they don't want to be contacted.Īdvertiser-supported sites can be very useful and are chock-a-block with health information. While many health Web sites have enriched their offerings, privacy issues remain a concern as users are able to enter personal information and receive customized alerts and health messages. New heart-health checkups to gauge heart-attack risk. Interactive site offers quiz to determine biological age based on 150 questions about health status and behaviors. Provides nutrition information for menu items at restaurants and suggests healthier alternatives. Sends text-message reminders to go to the gym or take your medication, and sends daily health and fitness tips allows users to log fitness goals on a mobile phone. Includes a prescription medication image gallery pill finder profiles to help identify medications by size, shape, color and visible markings and new risk assessments, quizzes and calculators such as body-mass-index calculator and breast-cancer-risk assessment. Allows users to create blogs and join online communities. Offers health-risk assessments, symptom checker, and personalized lists of questions to ask your doctor based on conditions and symptoms. ![]() Interactive quizzes on recognizing skin cancer. Offers some 2,000 medical images and information to help identify more than 180 skin diseases, rashes and conditions allows searches by age, sex and body part. This long-time leading health-care site has added a healthy eating and diet center that includes food and fitness planners, a health-and-weight calculator that gives personal results on six different weight and fitness measurements, and a customized calorie-intake planner for weight loss. Additional sites offering new ways to manage health online:
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