Want to live through your next brush with lab coats? Your chances are much better if you're lucky enough to pIck one of the nation's top hospitals. I wonder how this might extend to cosmetic procedures:

The top 5 percent of hospitals in the United States have a 28 percent lower death rate than other hospitals in the nation, a new study finds...

Over those three years, the top hospitals reduced their death rates by an average of 11.7 percent and reduced post-surgical complication rates by about 3.4 percent.

If all U.S. hospitals had the same quality of care as the top hospitals, 158,264 lives might have been saved and 12,409 major complications avoided, the study authors said.

HealthGrades risk-adjusted the data, to compare on equal footing hospitals that treated sicker patients.

Your local hospital stats are here -- check it out if you dare -- here.
Top U.S. Hospitals Have 28% Lower Mortality Rate: Study

hat tip to: Bodyhack