Ten cities have the best healthcare in the country, based on market and hospital performance for populations, according to a new report from iVantage Health Analytics.
iVantage assessed hospital quality based on 10 equally weighted performance measures, including care quality, outcomes, patient perspective, financial stability, market size, competitive intensity and population risk.
If lower-scoring markets improve their performance, the study states, they could save up to 3,962,850 years of potential lives lost, the equivalent of an extra year of life to the entire population of Los Angeles.
"This year's findings confirm the premise of the new healthcare," John Morrow, executive vice president of iVantage Health Analytics, said in the report announcement. "It sheds new light on hospital and population performance and the effect both have on the health of local communities and the economy. Potential life equates to: productivity, wages, taxes, consumption of goods and services, housing, manufacturing … all good purpose given the current state of our economy … just in case anyone is looking for a return on investment thesis."
The top 10 healthcare markets, according to iVantage, are:
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Boston
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Portland, Ore.
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Philadelphia
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St. Louis
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Charlotte, N.C.
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New York
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Washington, D.C.
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Minneapolis
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Chicago
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Atlanta
These markets serve approximately 60 million people, or 19 percent of the U.S. population. If hospitals in these markets manage risk, performance and value, the added life expectancy could boost the gross domestic product (GDP) by $513 billion, the equivalent of the entire GDP of Ohio, according to the statement.
The fact that the top-performing cities are spread across the country is a good sign, according to Morrow. "While not all markets are identical, there are common population psychographics; a key insight for population managers trying to effectively coordinate care with beneficiaries," he said in the announcement. "This study reveals the direct relationship between education, income, ethnicity and consumption trends in top performing markets."
Despite the performance of hospitals in these cities, rural healthcare providers continue to struggle, due to both states' failure to expand Medicaid and a shortage of workers.
To learn more:
- here's the research announcement