New information about the quality of care available in outpatient and emergency departments has been added to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hospital Compare Web site, www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov. The information includes how well hospitals care for patients with heart attacks and how well they protect outpatients from surgical infections.

This information can also be found on the front page of the Health and Human Services Web site as part of the Compare Care Quality link at www.healthcare.gov.

One of the new pieces of data is how efficiently facilities use certain types of imaging equipment, keeping patients safe from exposure to potentially harmful radiation that may not be necessary. By providing this information, Medicare hopes to help patients and their families understand the risks associated with these technologies and encourage them to talk with their doctors about which hospitals are most likely to help patients reduce their risks.

The Hospital Compare site includes new measures that show whether outpatients who are treated for suspected heart attacks receive proven therapies that reduce mortality, such as aspirin at arrival, and how well outpatient surgical patients are protected from infection.

Previously, Hospital Compare had provided data only about the quality of care provided to hospital inpatients. Adding outpatient quality measures gives consumers a more complete picture of the quality of care available at local hospitals.

Both www.healthcare.gov and www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov are available to help consumers make health care decisions, but consumers should gather information from multiple sources when choosing a hospital. For example, patients and caregivers could use the Web sites to help them discuss plans of care with their health care providers.

In an emergency, patients should always go to the nearest facility.