About When It Counts
When It Counts is a tool that helps everyday people understand hospital quality information more clearly. We take public data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and present it in plain language so you can more easily see how hospitals compare on things that matter — overall quality, patient experience, safety, and infections.
Built by Maria Brandt, a former midwife and health insurance agent who now works in senior companion care. Families should not have to decode CMS.gov to choose a hospital.
What you can see today
- Overall hospital star ratings
- Patient experience scores
- Safety and infection measures
- Birthing-Friendly and VA Facility designations
- Basic hospital information (type, ownership, emergency services)
What’s coming next
We’re actively expanding the data. Planned additions include:
- Stronger maternity outcome measures (when CMS releases them)
- Specialty areas such as Cardiac, Neurology, Orthopedics, and Cancer
- Hospital size and bed counts
- Additional safety and quality details as they become available
Important to know
- The data comes from official public sources and is not created by When It Counts.
- Not every hospital reports every measure. When information is missing, we show it as “Not reported.”
- Hospital quality data can lag behind real-time conditions.
- This tool is for general information only. It is not medical advice and should not replace conversations with your doctors or care team.
Why this exists
Hospital decisions matter. The goal is to make key quality information easier to understand so people can ask better questions and make more informed choices when it counts.
When It Counts is in active development. This is the first version, and improvements will continue based on feedback and available data.
Data last updated: August 2026