Florida’s hospital care falls below U.S. norm, studies show

Two recent federal reports on hospital quality agreed that hospitals in Florida, on average, fall below the national norm. Hospital care in Florida was rated "weak" relative to the rest of the country by the congressionally mandated Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Just days later, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services posted patient-satisfaction scores on its Web site for virtually every U.S. hospital. On average, Florida hospitals lagged the nation in all of the 10 listed categories-from patients' overall rating of their hospital experience to their satisfaction with staff communication, pain management and room cleanliness.