State of Medicine Report Identifies Counties on Health Care Access Watch List

An analysis of data derived from the Pennsylvania Medical Society’s third State of Medicine report and a companion study on physician supply and patient access has found that 17 counties in Pennsylvania are at risk of current or future access to care problems.

The Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) has placed these counties on a watch list.

Read the full State of Medicine report and its companion access study. (These are large files and may require several minutes to download.)

Based on 10 criteria and high admission rates for one or more chronic diseases, the counties at the highest risk are: Cameron, Clarion, Clinton, Elk, Fayette, Forest, Fulton, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lawrence, Philadelphia, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, and Wayne counties.
 
There have been some improvements in factors that affect medical practice in the state as well, the report found. They include better physician retention, declining medical liability payouts, and maintenance of physician payments for evaluation and management (E&M) services.

“It’s not a bad day in Pennsylvania. But, it’s also not a great day either as some parts of the state continue to hurt,” said James A. Goodyear, MD, president of PAMED.

“Some steps we pushed for several years ago are starting to pay off now, but there are more steps that need to be taken for the better health of all Pennsylvanians,” he added.

Read this media release for more on the watch list.

Health Care Access Watch List
Criteria		Counties meeting critera
Chronic health condition hospital admission rates per 1,000 residents	Diabetes (greater than or equal to 2)	Philadelphia, Northampton, Carbon, Schuylkill, Northumberland, Cameron, Clarion, Jefferson, Indiana, Lawrence, Allegheny, and Fayette
	Asthma (2.26 to 5.40)	Philadelphia, Fayette, Westmoreland, Indiana, and Lawrence
	COPD (6.51 to 9.84)	Chester, Clinton, Cameron, Jefferson, Fayette, Forest, Venango, and Lawrence
	Heart failure (7.75 to 10.04)	Philadelphia, Carbon, Greene, and Lawrence
Actively practicing direct patient care physicians average age greater than or equal to 50 years		Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Cambria, Carbon, Clarion, Clinton, Cumberland, Delaware, Elk, Fayette, Forest, Fulton, Huntington, Indiana, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lawrence, Lebanon, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Montgomery, Pike, Schuylkill, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Venango, Warren, Wayne, and Westmoreland
One or less OB/GYN in direct patient care		Cameron, Elk, Forest, Fulton, Greene, Juniata, Perry, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, Wayne, and Wyoming
One or less pediatrician in direct patient care		Cameron, Clarion, Clinton, Elk, Forest, Fulton, Juniata, Northumberland, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, and Wyoming
Oldest average direct patient care physicians		Clinton, Elk, Fulton, Tioga, and Warren
Highest percentage of uninsured residents (more than 14 percent)		Indiana, Forest, Centre, Tioga, Bradford, Sullivan, Juniata, Wayne, and Pike
Residents with no usual source of care (16 percent or more)		Jefferson, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne, Clarion, Potter, Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Tioga, and Philadelphia
Residents with no primary care physician (30 percent or more)		Sullivan, Clarion, Susquehanna, Jefferson, Fulton, Potter, Centre, Wayne, Tioga, Cameron, Bedford, and Greene
Physicians unable to get specialty referrals (55 percent or more)		Juniata, Fulton, Clarion, Sullivan, Greene, Bedford, Tioga, and Susquehanna
Persons in poverty (More than 14.5 percent)		Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Mifflin, Philadelphia, Susquehanna, and Venango
Nonwhite population (More than 14.6 percent)		Allegheny, Berks, Chester, Dauphin, Delaware, Forest, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, and Philadelphia