This is a great article from MSN. I have to admit though I worked in and now with hospitals there was information that I was surprised to read.

For example –

“Avoid hospitals in July like the plague.”

If you can, stay out of the hospital during the summer ‰ÛÓ especially July. That’s the month when medical students become interns, interns become residents, and residents become fellows and full-fledged doctors. In other words, some of the staff at any given teaching hospital are new on the job.

Summer hospital horror stories aren’t just medical lore: The adjusted mortality rate rises 4% in July and August for the average major teaching hospital, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. That means 8 to 14 more deaths occur at major teaching hospitals than would normally without the turnover.

Another scheduling tip: Try to book surgeries first thing in the morning and preferably early in the week when doctors are at their best and before schedules get backed up.