Not only is U.S. National Doctors’ Day drawing close (on March 30, 2020), the coronavirus pandemic is raising questions about the extent of healthcare provision for U.S. citizens. A new survey from WalletHub looks into this issue. The report is titled “2020’s Best & Worst States for Doctors.”
In order to gather the required data to assess the best (and consequently worst states) for those in the business of saving lives, WalletHub has assessed the 50 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia against 19 essential metrics. The data gathered extends from mean annual wage of physicians to the proportion of hospitals per capita. The figures also include a review of quality and performance ratings of the public hospital system.
In terms of outcomes, in relation to medical doctors, the top ten best states were found to be:
1. Montana
2. Wisconsin
3. Idaho
4. North Dakota
5. Minnesota
6. Kansas
7. Iowa
8. Tennessee
9. Mississippi
10. Nebraska
In terms of the worst states, New York comes top, followed by Rhode Island and Connecticut.
The following video provides background information about the data gathering and analysis process:
Aside from the data relating to doctors, there were variations in the outcomes in terms of more general health provision. For example, Mississippi was found to have the highest average annual wage for surgeons at $313,491,. This stands at around twice as high as California, where the typical pay is $152,850.
In relation to doctors, the state of Minnesota was found to have the lowest number of physicians per 1,000 residents, at 1.09. This is some six times lower than in the District of Columbia, which boasts the highest ratio at 6.71.
With the issue of elderly (who tend to require the most medical support), Florida has the highest share of the population aged 65 and older at 27 percent (based on projections for 2030). In Utah, this state has lowest proportion of seniors, at just over 13 percent of the population.
Looking at the data, Patrick D. Souter (of Baylor Law School) looks at the problems that some states have with recruiting and retaining qualified medics, noting: “This demand provides an environment where it is difficult to find the right fit for the practice and then having the ability to retain them long term.”
