Veterans Administration Medical Center, Washington, DC

In the New Yorker article we read this week, Atul Gawande described how excess care is provided – and excess costs incurred – in McAllen, Texas, compared with other places.   This article and the work of researchers at Mayo, Dartmouth, and elsewhere, resulted in many policymakers advocating for the elimination in variations in care and, importantly, variations in cost between geographic communities.

1. Visit the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care.   Locate the state you live/work in and find the hospital you will be describing.
2. Visit the Commonwealth Fund’s Health System Data Center.  Locate data on your local Hospital Referral Region (HRR).
3. Visit one other resource of your choice to study your home/work region.
4. Visit one or more global resource sites of your choice (see our Resources area) to gather data about your “adopted country”.

Part 1   Answer these questions:

1. Describe the region of the hospital where you work or a hospital located near your home.   Use the data from the Dartmouth Atlas, Commonwealth Fund, and one other resource to support your conclusions about your hospital and region.  How does the hospital you selected compare on at least three significant ‘indicators’ to other hospitals located in your region? 

2. What are the two most significant obstacles and the two most significant opportunities that limit/promote health equity and access in your region?