Comparing hospitals online
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services now has (the singular verb is correct; it's one agency) two Web sites up that are aimed at helping consumers compare hospitals on the basis of cost and quality.
The Hospital Compare Web Site lets consumers check on a hospital's accreditation, get information on how patients rated their experience as well as how much Medicare paid for certain procedures. (Medicare payments often serve as a basis for what private insurers will pay.)
You also can see data from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems. Making the data available is aimed at providing a meaningful, objective basis for comparing hospitals and, through this level of transparency, create incentives for hospitals to improve care.
The Health Care Blog has more information and background here. Note some of the caveats raised in the comments to this post.