About When It Counts

When It Counts is a free tool that helps everyday people understand hospital quality information more clearly.

Public hospital data exists, but it is often hard to read, incomplete, or written in technical language. This tool takes publicly available information — primarily from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) — and presents it in a simpler, more usable way.

What you’ll find here

• Overall hospital quality ratings
• Patient experience scores
• Safety and infection performance
• Birthing-Friendly designation
• Basic hospital information (location, type, ownership, emergency services)

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.