In the popular sitcom Royal Pains, ritzy folks in the Hamptons hire a concierge doctor to tend their ills rather than an inept local hospital.

In reality, it's no comedy. A USA TODAY analysis finds two dozen hospitals near popular travel destinations, as compiled by the National Travel Monitor, have death rates among the worst in the USA. A separate analysis shows that one of every four hospitals with high death rates for heart attack, heart failure or pneumonia — 94 of 402 — are near state parks.

Once, such information was impossible to come by. Data now available on USA TODAY's website and the U.S. government site Hospital Compare (hospitalcompare.hhs.gov) allow vacationers to check in advance, especially those with chronic medical conditions. The hospital analysis, by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, calculated death rates for heart attacks, heart failure and pneumonia at more than 4,600 hospitals across the USA.

"When people make travel plans, they look at many different things: hotels, restaurants, shopping, amusement parks and beaches," says Dia Kuykendall of Visit Florida, the state's public-private tourism agency. Hospitals are "something else to consider," especially if you're traveling with someone who might need medical attention.

The newspaper's analysis of hospitals near top travel destinations shows that poor-performing facilities are scattered nationwide, from the Central Valley in California to the East Coast, from the Outer Banks of North Carolina to Myrtle Beach, S.C., to the Florida beaches. Hospitals with high death rates for heart attack, heart failure or pneumonia can be found in big cities, such as Las Vegas, Dallas and San Diego, and near treasured landmarks, such as Zion National Park.

An ailing visitor to Las Vegas who rolls the medical equivalent of snake eyes may end up at University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, where the heart attack death rate of 21.1% tops the U.S. average of 16.6%. In the San Diego area, four hospitals from La Mesa to Oceanside have high death rates for heart failure or pneumonia.

Brian Terry of The Healthy Traveler Clinic in Pasadena, Calif., says travelers abroad may find quality medical care with guidance from U.S. Embassy staff. But in the USA, travelers could be on their own.

Poorly rated hospitals near travel hotspots

Hospital	City	State	Heart attack mortality	Heart failure mortality	Pneumonia mortality
Methodist Charlton Medical Center	Dallas	Texas	No difference	Worse than U.S. rate	No difference
Baylor University Medical Center	Dallas	Texas	Worse than U.S. rate	No difference	No difference
Conway Medical Center	Conway	S.C.	No difference	Worse than U.S. rate	Worse than U.S. rate
Onslow Memorial Hospital	Jacksonville	N.C.	No difference	No difference	Worse than U.S. rate
Craven Regional Medical Center	New Bern	N.C.	No difference	No difference	Worse than U.S. rate
U M C Of Southern Nevada	Las Vegas	Nev.	Worse than U.S. rate	No difference	No difference
St Rose Dominican Hospital-De Lima	Henderson	Nev.	No difference	No difference	Worse than U.S. rate
Seven Rivers Regional Medical Center	Crystal River	Fla.	Worse than U.S. rate	No difference	No difference
St Lucie Medical Center	Port Saint Lucie	Fla.	Worse than U.S. rate	Worse than U.S. rate	No difference
Citrus Memorial Hospital	Inverness	Fla.	No difference	No difference	Worse than U.S. rate
Venice Regional Medical Center	Venice	Fla.	No difference	No difference	Worse than U.S. rate
North Broward Medical Center	Pompano Beach	Fla.	Worse than U.S. rate	No difference	No difference
Indian River Memorial Hospital Inc	Vero Beach	Fla.	No difference	Worse than U.S. rate	No difference
Orange Park Medical Center Inc	Orange Park	Fla.	Worse than U.S. rate	No difference	No difference
Bert Fish Medical Center	New Smyrna Beach	Fla.	No difference	No difference	Worse than U.S. rate
Manatee Memorial Hospital	Bradenton	Fla.	Worse than U.S. rate	Worse than U.S. rate	Worse than U.S. rate
Pomerado Hospital	Poway	Calif.	No difference	No difference	Worse than U.S. rate
Hi-Desert Medical Center	Joshua Tree	Calif.	No difference	No difference	Worse than U.S. rate
Grossmont Hospital	La Mesa	Calif.	No difference	Worse than U.S. rate	No difference
Palomar Medical Center	Escondido	Calif.	No difference	No difference	Worse than U.S. rate
Tri-City Medical Center	Oceanside	Calif.	No difference	Worse than U.S. rate	Worse than U.S. rate
Olympic Medical Center	Port Angeles	Wash.	No difference	Worse than U.S. rate	Worse than U.S. rate
Dixie Regional Medical Center	St. George	Utah	Better than U.S. rate	Worse than U.S. rate	No difference

TRAVELERS: Have you gotten sick on the road? How was your hospital experience?

		Hospitals with high death rates for heart attack or pneumonia can be found near popular destinations such as Olympic National Park. nps.gov