Consumers Union to rate hospitals

The nonprofit Consumers Union is launching a new hospital-ratings service, which will include around 3,000 facilities. Consumers will be able to see a graph showing how intensely each hospital tends to treat patients, on a scale from zero for the most conservative to 100 for the most aggressive. Intensity of care is based on time spent in the hospital and the number of doctor visits, and the index reflects the hospital's handling of nine serious conditions.