Preventable Hospitalizations Down 6% Since 2017: State-by-State Data Featured in 2021 America’s Health Rankings Senior Report

​America’s Health Rankings, the longest-running annual assessment of the nation's health on a state-by-state basis, releases three state ranking reports each year. Each report provides a comprehensive look at the health of the population across the U.S. This year’s Senior Report shows meaningful progress made on key measures of senior health in the period immediately preceding the COVID-19 pandemic, including significant improvements in care. The Senior Report is broken down by state and provides specific data such as the “number of personal care and home health aides per 1,000 adults ages 65 and older with a disability” for each state. ​

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The Senior Report also provides highlights for each state like the percent increase or decrease of preventable hospitalizations, falls and more. For example, prior to the pandemic, the overall number of preventable hospitalizations decreased by 6% since 2017 - reflecting a high quality of care. You can also see which states are seeing an increase in the number of geriatric care providers. Overall, the nation saw a 13% increase in geriatric care providers from 2018 to 2020.

Click here to read the 2021 Senior Report. 

*Please note that the Senior Report uses the most recent data that is publicly available for each measure. The majority of the measures in the report leverage data from 2019 and thus may serve as a baseline for the health of older Americans prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of the pandemic across numerous health measures will likely be reflected in the 2022 Senior Report as data collected in 2020 and 2021 are released.