title: Rating the health status of U.S. communities.
abstract: Although the existence of small-area variation in health care utilization and quality had been acknowledged decades ago, and the public release of data about the performance of hospitals and physicians is no longer controversial, the wide range of variability in the health status of U.S. communities has received relatively little attention. The authors demonstrate (using Florida data) an empirically derived national system for rating the health status of communities, presented in a simplified consumer-type format, using a symbol-graded report card. This system is intended to keep the symbols of poor health status prominently in the minds and on the political agendas of community leaders.
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Outcomes Research, Health Sciences Center, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA. jstudnic@hsc.usf.edu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Studnicki
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Hevner
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Berndt
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Luther
mesh_terms: D019985:Benchmarking; D018672:Community Health Planning; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007253:Information Centers; D007255:Information Services; D011159:Population Surveillance; D017062:Small-Area Analysis; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology