1) A study used a discrete choice experiment to understand how Australians would choose between public hospitals for elective surgery based on quality, convenience, and other factors. 2) Respondents valued hospital quality the most, prioritizing reduced adverse events, readmissions, and potential health gains over convenience. 3) To introduce greater public hospital choice, quality information must be improved, patients need assistance in decision making, and barriers to choosing different hospitals need reduced. Hospitals also need support to respond to quality-based patient preferences.