Atlas of Health Care Charts Performance

Quality of Care Varies by Area by Jayne O'Donnell.  USA Today.  October 31, 2012.

The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care can be found here.  

While this document is designed to help medical students find appropriate and attractive residencies, the article points out that it can also be used to help consumers determine how their local hospital differs from the norm.  Using 2010 Medicare data, the report documents variations of treatment of patients at the end of life, as well as surgical procedures,  and patient experiences.