KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- For decades, death rates have been some the medical profession's most closely guarded secrets.

Now, that information is as close as your computer.

Many medical experts consider death rates from heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia as a gauge to a hospital’s overall performance.

Now, for the first time ever, the US Centers for Medicare Services is making the information available online.

Volunteer TV looked at UT Medical Center, Fort Sanders, and St. Mary's hospitals, and compared their mortality rates in those three categories.

We found that all three hospitals are pretty much in line with the national averages. These percentages indicate the 30 day death rate at each hospital for patients admitted with these conditions.

Here are the categories and corresponding mortality rate for each of the three hospitals:

Heart attack
UT Medical Center: 19 percent
Fort Sanders: 18.2 percent
St. Mary’s: 16 percent.
National Average: 16.1 percent.

Heart failure
UT Medical Center: 9.4 percent
Fort Sanders: 11.2 percent
St. Mary’s: 11.6 percent
National Average: 11.1 percent

Pneumonia
UT Medical Center: 12.8 percent
Fort Sanders: 10.6 percent
St. Mary’s: 10.6 percent
National Average: 11.4 percent

In addition to these three categories, there are about two dozen other measures of how well hospitals meet patients’ needs.

To check up on hospitals in your area, CLICK HERE.