4/18/2012 8:22:06 AM
A new study from the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System ranks Lancaster County 14th nationwide in healthcare delivery, putting it in the top 10 percent of all local areas.
Specific categories where Lancaster excelled: disease screening and prevention, adult continuity of care, low incidence of inappropriate prescription among the elderly, reduced hospital 30 day mortality and appropriate home discharge instructions.
“This report shows that Lancaster County physicians are dedicated to the new value proposition in healthcare. We have a highly motivated, physician led medical community and this report demonstrates our collaborative care model, dedication to clinical excellence and attention to healthcare utilization,” said Paul M. Conslato, MD, Lancaster General Health’s Physician Services Director of Clinical Affairs. “It’s a validation that our physician commitment to quality is now being nationally recognized, but more importantly reflected in the health of the communities we serve in Lancaster County, and that’s why we are here.”
After comparing 306 local health care areas, the Scorecare on Local Health System Performance found that where a patient lives has “a major impact on the ability to access health care and the quality of care received.”
In fact, there is often a two- to threefold variation from one local community to another in the four indicators the report studied: 1) access, 2) prevention and treatment, 3) potentially avoidable healthcare use and cost and 4) healthy lives.
After Lancaster, the next closest rankings in Pennsylvania were York (32), Harrisburg (51) and Danville (64). At the other end of the spectrum in Pennsylvania were Erie and Sayre (both 137) and Pittsburgh (156). The top ranked health care delivery area nationwide was St. Paul, Minnesota. Monroe, Louisiana came in last at 306.
For the full report visit www.commonwealthfund.org