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In February 2012, LaVerne Stiles went to Citrus Memorial Hospital near her home in central Florida for what should have been a routine surgery. The bubbly retired secretary had been in a minor car accident weeks earlier. She didn’t worry much about her sore neck until a scan detected a broken bone. The operation she needed, a spinal fusion, is done tens of thousands of times a year without incident. Stiles, 71, had a choice of three specially trained surgeons at Citrus Memorial, which was rated among the top 100 nationally for spinal procedures. She had no way of knowing how much was riding on her decision. The doctor she chose, Constantine Toumbis, had one of the highest rates of complications in the country for spinal fusions. (Allen and Pierce, 7/14)

Two new, unrelated search tools opened to the public Tuesday promise to make elective surgery planning easier and more transparent. They're delivering on that promise by arming patients with information about thousands of surgeons' previous patient outcomes. (Smart, 7/14)

If you're thinking about having an operation, you may want to do some research about the surgeon before signing up. It could mean the difference between a smooth procedure and complications, according to data compiled by ProPublica. (Terry, 7/14)

It's bad enough spending three or more days in a hospital undergoing a barrage of medical tests and procedures. Brace yourself for even more pain at discharge if the hospital reveals that you were actually never admitted but were on Medicare "observation status." That designation could cost you big time. Hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries who are under observation are considered outpatients, even if they spend many days in the hospital. If you find yourself in this boat, there's a chance you'll pay more for services than if you'd been formally admitted. Observation patients are also ineligible for certain extended-care benefits. (Garland, 7/15)

When searching for a skilled nursing care facility, one place to start is medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare, a 5-star quality rating system by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It’s supposed to help consumers look beyond slick marketing brochures and alluring websites to see what kind of care they can expect at certified nursing homes. (Berrios, 7/15)

Health Savings Accounts make a lot of sense–at least, on paper. For account holders, they provide a triple tax advantage. Money set aside, earned or withdrawn from the accounts to pay for medical expenses is all held out of Uncle Sam’s reach. Also, any untapped money can be used to supplement retirement savings and pay Medicare costs after age 65. Plus, there is the added benefit that the accounts encourage consumers to sift through their health care options for the most cost-effective options, since any savings go directly to their bottom lines. That, in turn, puts downward pressure on spiraling health care costs. The problem, according to a new study, is that few account holders are doing what it takes to even coming close to maximizing the potential of HSAs. (Fletcher, 7/14)