Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use a directory to find hospitals in Pennsylvania

Get information about hospitals in your area, including size, rankings for patient care and safety and specialty services.

I recommend: Get information from the Joint Commission, an independent, non-profit organization that accredits hospitals and other health care organizations. MedlinePlus, a service of the National Library of Medicine, provides a database of hospitals. The Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation lists trauma centers in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health provides a map of Critical Access Hospitals in Pennsylvania. Members of the Critical Access Hospitals program are small rural hospitals that must meet guidelines to get Medicare reimbursements. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides a list of veterans hospitals.

Locate the nearest PA hospital trauma center

A trauma center provides emergency care for accidents and other traumas 24 hours per day. Trauma centers are ranked either level one or level two based on their facilities and equipment.

I recommend: Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, located in downtown Philadelphia, and Geisinger Medical Center, a western Pennsylvania hospital that is part of the Geisinger Health System in Danville, are level one trauma centers. They also provide a range of specialty services, are referral centers for other hospitals in the area and are accredited by the Society of Chest Pain Centers, a non-profit society focused on cardiac health.

Find a PA hospital that's a leader in specialty services

Some hospitals are dedicated to a specific group or function, such as pediatric and rehabilitation hospitals. A pediatric hospital provides care for babies and children, particularly difficult cases. Rehabilitation hospitals help a patient recover physical, mental and sensory skills lost because of a disease or injury. Besides pediatrics and rehabilitation, a few hospitals in Pennsylvania are leaders in several specialties.

I recommend: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia ranks as the number one pediatric hospital in an annual study by U.S. News and World Report. The Magee Rehabilitation Center is also a highly rated health care provider. Pennsylvania Hospital is a health center operating under the University of Pennsylvania. Hospital specialties, including orthopedics, kidney disease, digestive disorders, endocrinology and respiratory disorders, are highly ranked among national hospitals. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center ranks high in cancer care, orthopedics, psychiatry, ear nose and throat, rheumatology, neurosurgery and several other specialties.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When you are admitted to a PA hospital, make sure your medical team is aware of your medical history, especially what medicines you take
• •  Find out if you should continue to take your medicine while in the hospital. Keep a list of medicines you take. When given medication, make sure it's part of your regimen. If it isn't, find out why it's being administered.