Today, Healthgrades released the 2019 National Health Index, a list of cities across the country getting healthcare right. Rochester, MN, Burlington, VT, Charleston, SC, Cincinnati and Baltimore top this year’s list of 100 ranked cities.
The Index evaluated more than a dozen variables grouped into four health care factors to determine if a city was getting healthcare right: (1) whether the residents of each city were healthy overall, (2) if consumers had access to health care, (3) if local specialists achieved high marks in patient satisfaction and physician count per capita and (4) if patients had access to high quality hospitals, determined using the Healthgrades 2019 hospital quality analysis.
“The National Health Index is designed to help consumers understand the health of their community, to empower them to navigate their care journey with confidence and to help them access the right care in their market,” said Archelle Georgiou, MD, senior advisor to Healthgrades and author of Healthcare Choices.
The Healthgrades National Health Index also found that:
-The residents of San Francisco, CA, were the healthiest of all cities on the list, and received high scores across population health factors that were assessed.
-Worcester, MA topped the list with the highest access to health care.
-Residents of Rochester, MN reported the highest satisfaction with and had the greatest number of specialists per capita.
-Rochester, MN’s population has the best access to high quality hospitals.
“Health and healthcare is comprised of many different factors,” said Georgiou. “To understand whether a city is getting healthcare right is complex, which is why Healthgrades compiled numerous industry data sets to help paint a more complete picture of healthcare at the local level in cities across the country.”
See where your city stacked up.
Access the new Healthgrades 2019 Report to the Nation, an analysis of nearly 4,500 acute care hospitals and their variation in clinical quality and outcomes.
