The report written by 24/7 Wall St. that ran in USA Today is scathing, but it’s one that West Tennessee Healthcare isn’t taking sitting down.

In a story titled ’25 cities where you don’t want to get sick,’ Jackson – home to Jackson-Madison County General Hospital – is ranked ninth, nationally.

According to the report, “The likelihood of a full and speedy recovery varies depending on the nature of the illness or condition, but other factors, including the quality of medical care, can play a significant role.

“24/7 Wall St. created an index of three such measures at the metro area level to identify the cities with the worst health care system outcomes.

“The first measure we included in our index is the metro area level hospital readmission rate – or the share of Medicare patients readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of initial discharge. The second index component is the hospital mortality rate – or the share of Medicare patients who die within 30 days of admittance to a hospital. The third and final measure is the rate of preventable hospitalizations – or the frequency at which Medicare patients are admitted to a hospital for conditions that could or should have been treated in an outpatient setting.”

Measures for Jackson-Madison County General Hospital

• 30-day hospital readmission rate: 15.6%

• Mortality within 30 days of hospitalization: 14.8%

• Preventable hospitalizations: 54.5 per 1,000 Medicare enrollees

• No. of physicians: 105.0 per 100,000

• Median household income: $45,610

“The rate of patients dying within 30 days of being admitted to a hospital in Jackson, Tennessee, is nearly the highest of any city in the United States. Some 14.8% of patients discharged from metro area hospitals die within 30 days, a higher share than in all but 11 other U.S. metro areas. The 30-day mortality rate for patients treated for pneumonia is particularly high – 20.1% compared to 15.6% nationwide.

“Wealthier Americans are better equipped to afford regular, preventative health care and healthier options related to diet and lifestyle – and as a result, income is closely linked to health outcomes. As is the case in nearly every other metro area in this list, Jackson residents are more likely to be disadvantaged economically than the typical American. The median annual household income in Jackson is $45,610, well below the $61,937 national median.”

Amy Garner, West Tennessee Healthcare’s Chief Compliance and Communications Officer, issued the following statement about the report.

“We are currently in the process of evaluating the data published in the recent USA Today article to understand all of the sources and the validity of information, as well as the specific criteria on which the author made this determination about our city.

“We are also not yet sure of the effective time periods for the metrics used.

“The public can rest assured knowing our organization remains committed to our mission of improving the health and wellness of ALL of the communities we serve while providing compassionate and exceptional care in over 90 locations.”

(PHOTO: Jackson-Madison County General Hospital)

David Thomas, Twitter – @DavidThomasWNWS
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