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You’ve probably read a restaurant guide or review before going out for a special dinner. And you’ve probably scanned a consumer review or two before buying a new or used car.

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a place where you could get information on the quality of hospitals in your area?

Well, there is. It’s called Hospital Compare and you can find it on the Medicare Web site, at www.medicare.gov .

Hospital Compare contains a wealth of information on how well hospitals perform certain surgeries and treat certain medical conditions. The data varies from hospital to hospital. Because the reality is that some hospitals do a better job of caring for patients with certain conditions than others.

The idea behind Hospital Compare is that making quality-of-care information easily available to the public will motivate hospitals to improve their care. Medicare has similar “compare” Web sites for nursing homes, home health agencies, and dialysis facilities, too.

You can search Hospital Compare by zip code, city, or state. The data you’ll find are intended to provide a “snapshot” of the quality of care at about 4,000 hospitals throughout the United States. You don’t have to be a Medicare beneficiary to use Hospital Compare – it’s open to everyone and it’s free of charge.

If you’re having a medical emergency, go to the nearest hospital. Get care as fast as you can. But if you’re planning to have surgery, or if you have a condition like heart disease and you know you’ll need hospital care in the future, talk to your doctor about the local hospital that best meets your needs.

Find out which hospitals your doctor works with, and which hospitals he or she thinks give the best care for your condition. If you’re a Medicare beneficiary, ask if the hospitals participate in Medicare.
 
At that point, you may want to spend some time on Hospital Compare.

Hospital Compare shows the rates at which hospitals provide recommended care for patients being treated for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, and children’s asthma, and for patients having surgery.
 
It also displays information on hospital outcome measures. These include the rate at which Medicare patients who were treated for heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia had to be readmitted to the hospital with complications, and 30-day risk-adjusted death rates. (The 30-day period is used because this is the time period when deaths are most likely to be related to the care patients received in the hospital.)
 
In addition, you can see results from patient satisfaction surveys, such as how well patients thought the hospital controlled their pain and how well doctors and nurses communicated with them.
 
Hospital Compare is no substitute for talking with your doctor and family members and friends who’ve been treated at a hospital you’re considering. But the website can give you a general idea of how well various hospitals handle certain kinds of patients.
 
How can you find information about Medicare coverage of hospital services?
 
Original Medicare helps cover certain medical services and supplies in hospitals. If you have both Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance), you can get the full range of Medicare-covered services in a hospital.
 
If you’re in a Medicare Advantage Plan (like an HMO or PPO) or other Medicare health plan, read your plan materials. These plans provide all your Part A and Part B coverage.

If you’re in a Medicare Advantage plan or other health plan, Hospital Compare doesn’t have information about whether your care will be covered in a certain hospital. Check with your plan.
 
For more information about Medicare-covered hospital services, look at your “Medicare & You” handbook that’s delivered in the fall each year to all people with Medicare. View it online by visiting http://go.usa.gov/iDJ . You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) with your questions. TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.
 
David Sayen is Medicare’s regional administrator for Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and the Pacific Territories. You can get answers to your Medicare questions by visiting www.Medicare.gov or calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

Weddings can be very expensive, so it’s understandable that couples want everything to go according to plan.

Unfortunately, it isn’t always easy. Weddings have many moving parts: planners, venues, officiants, caterers, cakes, DJs, dresses and tuxedos, limos, photographers and more. No wonder they’re so expensive.

Things can go wrong for a few reasons; honest mistakes are inevitable, but there are also dishonest individuals and businesses that will wreak havoc on your special day.

You can avoid the latter by always doing your research on www.bbb.org to find a business you can trust, and considering the following advice.

Exercise restraint at wedding expos

At a wedding expo, you might be presented with one-day deals or discounts for advance payment.

Watch out for high pressure sales tactics, read all contracts carefully, and make sure to get three estimates for anything before signing on the dotted line. Keep a level head and don’t act on emotion!

Find the perfect venue

The venue is usually the most expensive part of a wedding. Make sure to visit many locations and get multiple estimates so you can compare costs and amenities.

Ask questions. Can you bring your own alcohol or caterer? What’s the parking situation? Who is responsible for flowers and decorations?

Know if there are unexpected costs such as “plate-splitting”, “cake-cutting” or “corkage” fees. There may be fees beyond the cost-per-person, gratuities and room rental.

If you’re hiring your own caterer, do your research at www.bbb.org to find one you can trust. Read the contract very carefully before signing.

Get down with a great DJ

In 2016, more than 150 complaints were filed with BBB nationwide about musicians and DJs.

Complaints include being charged unexpected fees and late appearances. Ask for references from friends and family and do your research on www.bbb.org ; you shouldn’t just rely on a Web site, demo tape or phone conversation.

Ask who will actually perform at the reception and get a written commitment from the band or musician, including the amount of time they will play and costs to extend the time the night of the event.

Work with the DJ ahead of time on what songs you want them to play.

Do your research when buying an outfit

Look up bridal shops at www.bbb.org to see their rating, complaint history, and reviews from past customers.

In 2016, consumers nationwide filed nearly 500 complaints about bridal shops. The leading causes of complaints were issues with repairs and alterations, refunds and exchanges, and guarantees.

Make sure to give yourself enough time for the shop to order the gown and then alter it. Ask about any hidden fees. The same goes for grooms buying or renting a tuxedo.

Ride in style

Consumers nationwide filed more than 600 complaints with BBB on limousine service businesses in 2016.

The leading cause for complaints was poor service, and many consumers complained that limos showed up late or not at all.

You should have a written contract that includes the hours of service, required fees including gratuities, maximum capacity allowed and amenities of the vehicle.

The service should also be licensed and insured – you can check that they have the required TCP license at www.cpuc.ca.gov .

Be careful when choosing a photographer

Your wedding only happens once, and you want to make sure you’ll get the pictures so that you can preserve the memory.

Many couples have complained of photographers and videographers that never deliver photos or hold them hostage for extra money.

Consumers nationwide filed more than 850 complaints on photographers and videographers with BBB in 2016.

The most common cause for complaint was receiving the pictures months after the event – or sometimes never.

Consumers also complained about late photographers and poor quality photos. Get everything in writing: time, price, timetable for getting the pictures and whether they’ll be edited.

Read the fine print and make sure there aren’t any hidden fees.

Consider insurance

In case something goes wrong, wedding insurance can save you thousands of dollars. It’s also wise to pay with a credit card, as they offer more protections than debit cards and cash.

Before making any purchase, know the refund policy, ask about any extra fees, and read the contract carefully and keep a copy after signing.

A wedding planner can help simplify many of the above steps, but they come with their own cost.

Do your research on www.bbb.org and talk to multiple planners before making a decision.

Rebecca Harpster is community outreach coordinator for the BBB serving the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern Coastal California.

I was working on the East Coast when I received news of an unprecedented wildfire in southern Lake County.

The Valley fire, as it would come to be known, was growing at an extreme rate.

When my emergency flight back to California landed, more than 50,000 acres had already been engulfed and the fire was only 5-percent contained.

As I drove north on Highway 29, clouds of dark smoke still filled an otherwise blue sky.

The next morning I was set to receive an emergency briefing in Lake County where I would visit the hardest hit areas.

I had been receiving routine updates on the fire. I knew how quickly it was spreading and the damage that it had already caused.

But nothing could have prepared me for what I saw as I made my way over the Napa County line down into Lake County.

As I drove through communities that I’ve represented for 25 years, the smell of smoke filled the air. Fires were still raging in the distance. And once vibrant communities looked like long-deserted ghost towns.

In places where homes and businesses previously stood, only ashes were left. Once beautiful and flourishing hillsides were burnt black. Cars were melted to the pavement. Livestock, grazing areas and farms were decimated. Lives and livelihoods were lost. Families who have called Lake County home for decades were left with nothing.

At the evacuation centers, the sense of personal loss was inescapable. At the Calistoga fairgrounds which housed more than 1,000 survivors, I spoke with one man who told me he simply wanted to return home to sort through the ashes. He hoped to find a family keepsake or two that may have survived the fire.

When I told him that I had just visited his community and not all of the homes had been destroyed, he said he was certain that he was not so lucky. He watched his home burn in the rearview mirror as he raced to escape the fire.

Tragedies have a way of showing what a community is made of, and the Valley fire is no different. This is one of the worst fires in California’s history, but it’s shown the absolute best of us. We are a community of strength, resolve, gratitude and generosity.

Firefighters ran into clouds of dense smoke and dangerous, unpredictable and rapidly expanding flames to save people’s lives and homes.

Families that lost everything still found the strength to thank our first responders for their extraordinary efforts.

Armies of Pacific Gas and Electric workers took to the streets. Infrastructure that took years to build was replaced in days. The power was turned back on and phones were up and working.

Volunteers flooded evacuation centers to cook for, shelter and comfort the thousands who had been displaced.

Donation centers where overwhelmed with food, clothes and other goods.

State, federal, local and tribal government officials were on hand to provide aid and coordinate response efforts.

Families are now starting to return home, but our recovery efforts are just beginning. So many lost so much that can never be replaced, but our neighbors are still in need and we can still help them get back on their feet.

Many friends from across Northern California have asked where they can donate to ensure the funds go to those in need.

Three local organizations – the Lake County Winegrape Commission, Lake County Winery Association, and Lake County Wine Alliance – have come together to form Lake County Rising.

Our community faces a long road back. It will not be quick and it will not be easy. But we will get there together.

In the last couple weeks I’ve witnessed firsthand how we pulled together when times are hardest and people are most in need. That is who we are, and that is how I know Lake County will rise again.

How you can help

You can donate through the #LakeCountyRising Facebook page or on the Lake County Winegrape Commission Web site.

Checks also can be made out to Lake County Wine Alliance, memo “Lake County Rising,” and mailed to Lake County Wine Alliance, P.O. Box 530, Kelseyville, CA 95451.

Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.