Follow this link to PDF version
According to Health Risk Management Inc., a consulting company, states with higher quality of care generally have lower per-capita health care costs. HRM’s annual “Quality First” index includes 46 weighted quality indicators that consider what individuals, health care systems, and states do to affect health status and care, and the degree to which those efforts improve outcomes. One of the most compelling findings is that the top 10 states in quality had an average per-capita health care cost of $239 in 1999, 11 percent lower than the bottom 10 states’ average of $268.
| Top 10 states in quality | Lowest 10 states in quality | ||||
| Rank | State | Per-capita cost | Rank | State | Per-capita cost |
| 1 | Minnesota | $228 | 49* | Mississippi | $255 |
| 2 | Hawaii | $227 | 49* | Louisiana | $317 |
| 3 | Wisconsin | $218 | 48 | Arkansas | $248 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $235 | 47 | Tennessee | $295 |
| 5 | Vermont | $218 | 46 | Oklahoma | $242 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $315 | 45 | South Carolina | $231 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $274 | 44 | New Mexico | $223 |
| 8 | Washington | $230 | 43 | Alabama | $281 |
| 9 | Maine | $221 | 42 | Texas | $253 |
| 10 | Iowa | $222 | 41 | Kentucky | $253 |
* Tie.
SOURCE: QUALITY FIRST INDEX, HEALTH RISK MANAGEMENT INC., MINNEAPOLIS, 1999
Paul Lendner ist ein praktizierender Experte im Bereich Gesundheit, Medizin und Fitness. Er schreibt bereits seit über 5 Jahren für das Managed Care Mag. Mit seinen Artikeln, die einen einzigartigen Expertenstatus nachweisen, liefert er unseren Lesern nicht nur Mehrwert, sondern auch Hilfestellung bei ihren Problemen.