Ohio hospitals given a B grade for palliative care

In a state-by-state ranking of hospitals with palliative care units, Ohio, like 18 other states, was given a grade of B (Source: “National Scorecard Ranks Palliative Care Across Country,” Forbes/HealthDay News, Oct. 2, 2008).

The nonprofit National Palliative Care Research Center composed its first-ever rankings, based on data from the American Hospital Association.

"We gave letter grades based on the percentage of hospitals that had palliative care programs, appropriately set up to meet the needs of seriously ill patients," said Dr. R. Sean Morrison, a professor of geriatrics and palliative care at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and director of the NPCRC.

Only Vermont, Montana and New Hampshire got an A, while Oklahoma, Alabama and Mississippi got an F. In general,  southern states did not fare as well as states in parts of the nation.