In an Atlanta Journal-Constitution opinion piece, Eric Norwood, president and CEO of Dekalb Medical in Georgia, urges consumers to use online resources to help them make "wise, informed health care decisions."
He writes, "In this new age of transparency, health care consumers can have access to independent information about health care providers," adding, "If you have a computer, or just access to the public library, you can find numerous independent Web sites with objective information about the clinical quality of your local hospitals."
Norwood writes, "Good hospitals are embracing this new technology, and you should too."
He concludes, "Wherever you seek treatment, you owe it to yourself to get all the facts" (Norwood, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2/23).