HealthGrades is one of those innovations of modern health care that helps patients choose hospitals with the best safety records. Trouble is, the more you look at the website's hospital rankings, the more questions it raises…What next? The patient would nervously click on other metro hospitals, searching for a five-star rating and a low complication rate. He'd be disappointed. Most local hospitals have one-star ratings. Four have three stars. Only one, North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale, gained top marks. Even the august Mayo Clinic got only three stars.

Star Tribune,  Jeremy Olson, 10/21/11

Tags: Quality