Here are the 50 states and the District of Columbia listed according to their progress in reducing surgical site infections among abdominal hysterectomy patients based on data from January 2012 through September 2012.
The SSI rates are those reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network and listed in CMS' Hospital Compare database. The rate is reported as a standardized infection ratio — a measure that compares the number of SSIs that occurred with the number of SSIs that would be predicted based on national, historical baseline data, which in this case is data reported from 2006 through 2008. The SIR also accounts for differences in the types of patients a hospital treats and differences in hospital characteristics such as size.
SIRs that are less than one indicate the hospital had fewer SSIs than would be predicted. Subtracting the SIR from one shows the percent decrease in SSIs from baseline. For example, an SIR of 0.80 means there was a 20 percent reduction from baseline. SIRs greater than one indicate infection rates were higher than would be predicted. Subtracting 1 from the SIR shows the percent increase. For example, an SIR of 1.25 means there was a 25 percent increase from baseline.
Here, the states are listed from smallest to largest SIR, or from the states showing the most progress in reducing SSI rates for abdominal hysterectomy to states showing the least progress.
Note: States' SIRs show their individual progress in reducing SSIs for abdominal hysterectomy and are not meant to compare actual SSI rates among states.
Montana — 0.361
Nevada — 0.39
Alabama — 0.502
Alaska — 0.558
Oregon — 0.569
Maine — 0.641
Indiana — 0.666
Oklahoma — 0.68
Washington — 0.702
North Carolina — 0.708
Kansas — 0.763
Missouri — 0.79
Virginia — 0.807
Massachusetts — 0.837
Georgia — 0.847
West Virginia — 0.85
Tennessee — 0.852
Texas — 0.86
Vermont — 0.882
Idaho — 0.89
Colorado — 0.911
Illinois — 0.933
Ohio — 0.942
California — 0.969
Arkansas — 0.985
Utah — 0.989
Florida — 1
Kentucky — 1.001
Pennsylvania — 1.034
New Jersey — 1.046
South Carolina — 1.057
South Dakota — 1.058
Iowa — 1.103
Nebraska — 1.158
New Mexico — 1.199
Wyoming — 1.21
Delaware — 1.274
Wisconsin — 1.293
Arizona — 1.301
Louisiana — 1.312
Mississippi — 1.358
Michigan — 1.4
New York — 1.438
New Hampshire — 1.447
Connecticut — 1.541
Minnesota — 1.544
North Dakota — 1.547
District of Columbia — 1.664
Hawaii — 1.666
Maryland — 1.69
Rhode Island — 1.713