There can be a major difference in the care received in one hospital, as compared with another. Some have a greater rate of infection, deaths, and long-term survival. There may also be considerable difference in what different hospitals charge. There is a website at www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov. that compares different hospitals.
If you need elective surgery, you want to be sure you are having it done at the best hospital. A hospital that was formerly excellent may not be the same a few years later. I found that out myself when I had a procedure in a hospital that formerly had been outstanding. I did write a letter to the CEO but I doubt it accomplished anything. Now it seems many hospitals are all about money, not the best possible care. Of course, some of the doctors are to blame for this. Many have turned the hospital care of their patients over to hospitalists and several doctor friends have had the same bad experience with the care of family members that I have had.
If a child has to be hospitalized, you want to be sure the hospital and staff are well equipped to take care of children. I can think of several where I would not want a child to be hospitalized. Medical school hospitals can be a problem because young interns and residents may be in charge of a lot of the care. Many hospitals now have pediatric hospitalists and then the child's pediatrician doesn't take care of his or her own patients in the hospital. My advice to anyone in a hospital and particularly when it is a child is to always have a family member or good friend in the room at all times. I would never, ever leave a child in a hospital room alone at the mercy of the staff.