Dartmouth Atlas Again Shows Quantity of Care Has Little Relationship to Quality
By:
NWHF Staff
| Posted on: September 10th, 2010
| Share: 
Categories:
Disparities •
Economic Issues •
Policies & Laws •
Public Health •
Did You Know?
Health research has long demonstrated that more doctors in a given area does not translate to better health. Now, a new study at the Dartmouth Health Atlas shows that more doctors doesn’t even mean better health care.
As one researcher said, “the nation’s primary care deficit won’t be solved by adding primary care physicians in an area or ensuring that people have better insurance coverage.”
As the Wall Street Journal reported, “there is no simple relationship between the supply of physicians and access to primary care; furthermore, seeing a doctor isn’t necessarily helpful: Some people who saw doctors still didn’t receive recommended care.”
Some statistics highlighted by Kaiser Health News:
McAllen, Texas, was the leg amputation capital of the nation with 3.29 per 1,000 Medicare enrollees.
Provo, Utah, had the lowest amputation rate, at only 0.33 per 1000 Medicare enrollees.
People who live in Florence, S.C., were most likely to see a primary care doctor with 88% of people visiting in a year, while 60% of the people in the Bronx (lowest rate in the nation) make it to the doctor each year.
Next entry: 
Previous entry: 
Back to main
