Idaho is home to the fewest preventable hospitalizations in the nation per 100,000 Medicare patients, whereas West Virginia most exceeds the national average of 2,681.
The 2021 data comes from HHS and are cited in United Health Foundation's latest "America's Health Rankings" report, which is the longest-running annual assessment of the nation's health on a state-by-state basis.
Preventable hospitalizations are here defined as discharges after hospitalization for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (PQI 90) such as diabetes with short- or long-term complications, hypertension, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, angina without a procedure, dehydration, and urinary tract infection. Data points are discharges per 100,000 Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in the fee-for-service program.
The rate of preventable hospitalizations can serve as an indicator of both care quality and access. A high rate of avoidable hospital stays indicates challenges in providing timely and effective primary care, barriers to access, gaps in preventive services, or inadequacies in managing chronic conditions outside of hospital settings.
The U.S. has seen some improvement on this health measure, with the national average falling compared to figures recorded in 2020.
Here are the complete state-by-state rankings for preventable hospitalizations per 100,000 Medicare members:
1. Idaho — 1,432
2. Hawaii — 1,435
3. Colorado — 1,481
4. Utah — 1,491
5. Alaska — 1,695
6. Oregon — 1,723
7. Montana — 1,757
8. Washington — 1,775
9. Arizona — 1,844
10. New Mexico — 1,863
11. Maine — 2,096
12. Wyoming — 2,103
13. California — 2,151
14. Vermont — 2,179
15. Nebraska — 2,247
16. Minnesota — 2,273
17. Iowa — 2,355
18. Wisconsin — 2,376
19. New Hampshire — 2,472
20. Maryland — 2,496
21. South Carolina — 2,498
22. Nevada — 2,540
23. Virginia — 2,557
24. Kansas — 2,576
25. South Dakota — 2,639
26. Rhode Island — 2,645
27. New York — 2,752
28. Tennessee — 2,826
29. North Carolina — 2,831
30. Connecticut — 2,841
31. Texas — 2,846
32. Delaware — 2,847
33. North Dakota — 2,928
34. Pennsylvania — 2,954
35. New Jersey — 2,984
36. Ohio — 3,022
37. Missouri — 3,036
38. Georgia — 3,055
39. Arkansas — 3,058
40. Oklahoma — 3,061
41. Florida — 3,092
42. Indiana — 3,111
43. Massachusetts — 3,223
44. Michigan — 3,280
45. Alabama — 3,340
Illinois — 3,340
47. Kentucky — 3,435
48. Mississippi — 3,445
49. Louisiana — 3,548
50. West Virginia — 3,874