For instance, only 40 percent of patients received treatment to help prevent blood clots within a day of some surgeries at United Medical Center in Southeast, while 96 percent of the similarly bedridden were given their meds in a timely fashion at George Washington University Hospital, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Hospital Compare site.

Howard University Hospital, meanwhile, earned the dubious distinction of charging more for less patient satisfaction. Howard charged Medicaid more than twice as much as any of the other District hospitals in the ranking – an average of $19,201  – for treating heart attack victims. But only 47 percent of Howard patients surveyed said they would recommend going there.