Tips for Researching Physicians and Hospitals:

1. Check state boards of medicine. State medical boards provide information regarding a doctor’s licensure, training and history of disciplinary action.

2. Check board certification. The American Board of Medical Specialties has a doctor-finder function that will pull up a physician’s board certification.

3. Review health care report cards. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality compiles “report cards” that provide comparative information on the quality of health plans, hospitals, medical groups, individual physicians,  nursing homes and other providers of care.

4. Compare hospitals. Medicare's "Hospital Compare" provides  information from Medicare hospitals on qualirty of care for patients with certain medical conditions or surgical procedures, as well as patient surveys on quality of care during hospital stays.