SPOTLIGHT: How useful are provider rating sites?

Without a doubt, the healthcare industry and regulators have plunged into the transparency  game with both feet, disclosing record volumes of pricing information and quality-of-care data on such issues as hospital-acquired infection rates. However, the question continues to be whether consumers are making use of such information effectively. Evidence suggests they're still overwhelmed and uncertain about how to use such data. And even when patients are sophisticated enough to search out measurements, providers may not have disclosed the stats consumers want to see. Article [1]