The California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) recently released mortality rates for eight different procedures treated by 400 hospitals throughout California. Compiled for public review for the first time, prospective patients can review the death rates when picking a hospital for treatment.

In the reports, individual hospital death rates are ranked as better, worse or the same as the state average for these procedures:

• Esophageal resection
• Pancreatic resection
• Craniotomy
• Acute stroke
• Gastro-intestinal hemorrhage
• Hip fracture
• Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA)
• Carotid endarterectomy

To see the mortality data and find out how individual hospitals performed, check out the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) page on the OSHPD web site. For more information, read this Oakland Tribune article.