A Kentucky health advocacy group has joined about 50 similar organizations across the country in urging Congress to open hospital accreditation surveys for public access. The group includes Kentucky-based Health Watch USA; Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports magazine; and Mothers Against Medical Error. Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a Somerset physician who heads Health Watch USA, contends that making the survey results public would give patients more information about hospitals' operations, including their efforts to prevent hospital-acquired infections, and foster greater transparency.
