Hawaii is home to the fewest preventable hospitalizations in the nation per 1,000 Medicare patients. West Virginia most exceeds the national average of 37.7.
The United Health Foundation factors preventable hospitalizations as a sign of overuse of the hospital as a primary source of care to calculate its annual "America's Health Rankings" report, the longest-running annual assessment of the nation's health on a state-by-state basis.
Here are the complete state-by-state rankings the foundation used to calculate' 2021 overall health scores, the most recent available.
Values reflect the number of 2019 discharges per 1,000 Medicare enrollees for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions, such as diabetes with short- or long-term complications, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, angina without a procedure, asthma, dehydration and urinary tract infection. Some hospital admissions related to those chronic conditions can be prevented through adequate management and treatment in outpatient settings.
1. Hawaii – 18.41
2. Utah – 20.48
3. Idaho – 20.57
4. Colorado – 21.6
5. Alaska – 22.36
6. Oregon – 22.53
7. Arizona – 24.82
8. Washington – 24.91
9. Montana – 25.34
10. New Mexico – 26.37
11. Vermont – 29.72
12. Wyoming – 30.33
13. California – 30.45
14. Minnesota – 31.38
15. Nebraska – 31.51
16. Maine – 31.95
17. Iowa – 31.98
18. Wisconsin – 32.02
19. South Dakota – 34.21
20. New Hampshire – 34.37
21. Nevada – 34.96
22. Maryland – 35.47
23. North Dakota – 36.09
24. South Carolina – 36.77
25. Kansas – 36.83
26. Connecticut – 37.26
27. Rhode Island – 37.84
28. Virginia – 38.34
29. New York – 38.87
30. Pennsylvania – 39.43
31. New Jersey – 40.16
32. North Carolina – 40.78
33. Texas – 41.34
34. Missouri – 41.97
35. Arkansas – 41.98
36. Tennessee – 42.29
37. Georgia – 42.45
38. Florida – 42.69
39. Ohio – 42.92
40. Massachusetts – 43.1
41. Oklahoma – 43.22
42. Indiana – 43.37
43. Delaware – 43.78
44. Michigan – 43.97
45. Illinois – 44.76
46. Washington, D.C. – 46.4
47. Alabama – 49.12
48. Louisiana – 49.14
49. Kentucky – 49.85
50. Mississippi – 50.04
51. West Virginia – 53.59