Five hospital secrets you should know

Going to the hospital for any reason is bad enough. But it can be particularly grueling if you receive substandard care, get stuck with a bill full of mistakes or wind up sicker than when you were first admitted.

While most patients check in and out without incident, there are plenty who haven't been as lucky. On average, one person at every hospital is harmed by a drug error -- every day, according to a 2006 study by the Institute of Medicine. It gets worse. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that roughly two million people a year get hospital-related infections, many of which are potentially lethal. About 195,000 patients die each year from hospital errors, according to healthcare ratings firm HealthGrades.

There are some little-known ways to protect yourself, however. Here are five hospital secrets you need to know.