Calif. Analysis Finds Care Quality Gap Between Rural, Urban Regions
California's Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development has released data that suggest urban areas deliver higher quality health care than rural regions, Payers & Providers reports.
The 2009 data focused on the frequency with which certain procedures are performed, as well as on rates of treatment complications that can sometimes lead to readmissions. Â
Key Findings
The majority of the data showed that urban counties delivered better health care, although rural areas occasional outperformed them.
The study found that:
- Readmission rates for short-term diabetes complications in California averaged 45.4 per 100,000 residents, but the average for rural counties was twice as high; and
- The asthma rate for pediatric patients in Imperial County -- one of the lowest-income rural counties in the state -- was 279.9 per 100,000 residents, compared with the statewide average of 99.2.
Implications
Michael Kassis -- an OSHPD research specialist who worked on gathering and analyzing the data -- said there were not enough findings to make a general conclusion about the trend (Payers & Providers, 2/16).
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