GREENVILLE, S.C., Sept. 20 (UPI) -- An analysis of hospital and physician care shows where a person lives affects quality of healthcare, a U.S. healthcare information firm says.
CareChex, a division of The Delta Group, which specializes in rating the quality of hospital and physician care, released two studies that demonstrate broad disparities U.S. healthcare quality by state and metropolitan area.
One study, 2010 CareChex Quality of Care by U.S. Geographic Area, shows broad disparities in care delivered across different states and major metropolitan areas -- and may explain the trend of U.S. "medical tourism," in which patients travel outside their community to receive higher quality care at a better price.
The second study, 2010 CareChex Patient Satisfaction by U.S. Geographic Area, identifies patient satisfaction with hospital care among states and major metropolitan areas.
Ohio, Michigan, Delaware, Massachusetts and Connecticut ranked at the top for overall quality of care. The District of Columbia, Nevada, Hawaii, New Mexico and New York ranked at the bottom.
Top states for patient satisfaction are Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Alabama and Louisiana, while the bottom states for patient satisfaction are the District of Columbia, Nevada, Florida, California and Hawaii, the CareChex analysis says.
The studies are at: www.carechex.com/media/maps.aspx and www.carechex.com/media/studies.aspx.
