[October 17, 2017]

Healthgrades Debuts National Health Index

Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals, today released its inaugural National Health Index, an analysis of cities leading the way in American health and healthcare. Minneapolis, Denver, Sacramento, Cincinnati, and Portland top this year's list. Residents of these cities reported higher rates of healthy activity, had high access to healthcare, physicians, and quality hospitals, and engaged less frequently in risky health behavior.

The Healthgrades National Health Index educates and empowers health consumers as they make care choices in their market. This analysis provides a resource at the local level to inform residents about key health factors in their community, such as access to physicians and high-quality hospitals, as well as the percentage of the population that engages less frequently in high-risk health behavior, such as binge or heavy drinking.

The National Health Index complements the comprehensive quality data Healthgrades offers across all platforms to help the millions of consumers who visit Healthgrades on a monthly basis find the right care from hospitals and physicians in their area. Together with the 2018 Report to the Nation, the National Health Index provides an informative snapshot of market care quality and the complex factors that contribute to a city's overall health.

"Consumers have many choices for care, but healthcare is fractured and complicated to understand," said Andrea Pearson, Chief Marketing Officer, Healthgrades. "The Healthrades National Health Index is designed to help simplify the process. By offering transparency and trusted information, we can help guide consumers to form more meaningful connections with providers and navigate their healthcare journey with confidence."

Highlighted findings from the Healthgrades National Health Index include:

• The residents of Denver, Colo., were the healthiest of all cities on the list.
• Boston topped the list with the highest access to primary care providers.
• Residents of Los Angeles report the lowest rates of depression.
• Salt Lake City's population reports the lowest rates of smoking.

The National Health Index is a measure that evaluates health and healthcare in metropolitan areas and is based on data from three sources: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2015 survey; the 2015 Association of American Medical Colleges Report, which calculated the number of active primary care providers per 100,000 population; and the Healthgrades 2018 award year hospital quality ratings.

Access the complete National Health Index and its methodology.

Read Healthgrades analysis on hospital variation in clinical quality and outcomes, also released today.

Learn more about how hospitals partner with Healthgrades.

+++

About Healthgrades

Healthgrades is dedicated to empowering stronger and more meaningful connections between patients and their healthcare providers. At www.healthgrades.com, we help millions of consumers each month to find and schedule appointments with their provider of choice. With our scheduling solutions and advanced analytics applications, we help more than 500 hospitals across the country to cultivate new patient relationships, improve patient access, and build customer loyalty. At Healthgrades, better health gets a head start.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171017005504/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]