Population health rates and care quality levels vary significantly across the country, new data from the Commonwealth Fund shows.

 By Jennifer Bresnick

July 15, 2016 - Much of the nation gets a passing grade for care quality, access, and overall population health, according to new data from the Commonwealth Fund, but striking differences in performance, outcomes, and affordability of basic services persist between geographical regions.

Patients who live in the highest-performing areas of the country are up to thirteen times more likely to experience satisfactory care than those at the other end of the spectrum, the report said, and broad variations in insurance coverage rates persist even after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

“Many communities are showing signs of getting healthier, and that is encouraging,” said Commonwealth Fund President David Blumenthal, MD.  Nearly all communities included in the survey improved more often than they worsened, indicating overall positive progress towards healthier lives for patients.

The number of adults who could not afford to receive care in the past year declined significantly in the majority of regions, while children and adults are both much more likely to have insurance coverage due to the ACA.  At-risk adults are more likely, overall, to have access to medical care, though they may not have steady relationships with a particular facility or primary care provider.

Communities have made the most progress with care quality indicators, such as the number of home health patients with improved mobility, 30-day mortality rates and readmissions to the hospital, and the number of nursing home residents using an antipsychotic medication.  High-risk medication use among elderly patients, as well as contraindicated prescriptions, have both decreased across the majority of communities.

READ MORE: Could Blockchain Control Population Health Management Costs?