> Don't you do research before picking a hospital and doctor?

No. Preventing rapid unplanned end of life is the main purpose of hospitals in my view.

Enough time to make a choice of hospitals (or even to collect information on specific hospitals) is a luxury that I would not expect patients to have.

For every emergency I plan a visit to the hospital at least 10-20 times. Emergencies are the exception, by definition. I think everyone with health insurance, which the Census Bureau says is 92% of Americans, since they will not go directly to the ER.