Ohio ranks 27th in new Commonwealth State Scorecard

The Commonwealth Fund released its latest state score card on health care access and quality and Ohio slipped one spot from 26th overall in 2007 to 27th overall this year (Source: “Report: Ohio stuck in middle on health cost, quality,” Business Courier of Cincinnati, Oct. 5, 2009).

The 2009 Scorecard on State Health System Performance, which is published by Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System, ranks states based on population health and quality of the health care system. According to the report card, Ohio slipped from 17th in 2007 to 19th in 2009 for access,fell from 11th to 21st on the report card’s equity ranking and dropped from 39th to 42 on the healthy lives ranking. On the bright side, Ohio improved from 29th to 24th on the prevention and treatment ranking and from 37th to 34th on the avoidable hospital use and costs ranking.

The Commonwealth Fund also has released a new companion report to it’s State Scorecard that profiles seven health systems: six that rank in the top quarter of all states—Vermont, Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin—plus Delaware, which was among the most-improved states from 2007 to 2009.

On November 10 the Health Policy Institute of Ohio will be hosting a forum on the Commonwealth Fund scorecard, as well as The 2009 U.S. Index of Health Ownership created by the Pacific Research Institute, which ranks states according to how their health laws and regulations reflect free-market principles. Ohio is ranked 40th overall in the PRI report.