Health
State ranks 13th for riskiest nation for delayed diagnosis
VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — In a recent study, Mississippi was found to be ranked 13th in the nation for riskiest diagnosis.
A contributing factor is that Mississippi patients are found to wait an average of two hours and nine minutes in the emergency room before being seen by a doctor.
The study by Data.CMS.Gov and Definitive Healthcare looked at four key metrics, each weighted by how much they impact a timely diagnosis.
Key Findings:
-
Mississippi is named one of America’s riskiest states for delayed diagnosis with a score of 65.24, ranking just outside the national top 10.
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Despite relatively shorter wait times, 4% of Mississippi patients leave the emergency room without ever being seen by a provider, which is a high rate that represents a significant volume of missed diagnostic opportunities.
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The state recorded a high death rate of 185.14 among surgical patients with serious treatable complications, suggesting critical failures in recognizing post-operative issues in time.
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Mississippi shows a readmission rate of 14.85%, signaling a systemic trend where patients may be discharged before their conditions are accurately stabilized or diagnosed.
Separate data revealed that an estimated 795,000 Americans become permanently disabled or die annually across care settings because dangerous diseases are misdiagnosed.
Below is a chart showing the riskiest states.
|
State |
Average Waiting Time in the ER |
Patients Who Left Without Being Seen (%) |
Readmission Rate (%) |
Death Rate among Surgical Inpatients with Serious Treatable Complications |
DelayedCare Response Score |
|
|
1 |
Massachusetts |
3 hr and 40 mins |
5 |
15.31 |
177.86 |
99.97 |
|
2 |
Delaware |
3 hr and 36 mins |
5 |
14.05 |
180.97 |
93.89 |
|
3 |
Rhode Island |
3 hr and 40 mins |
5 |
14.91 |
156.72 |
87.29 |
|
4 |
Maryland |
4 hr and 6 mins |
4 |
14.11 |
171.55 |
84.71 |
|
5 |
Illinois |
2 hr and 47 mins |
4 |
15.02 |
169.17 |
79.55 |
|
6 |
North Carolina |
3 hr and 10 mins |
3 |
14.37 |
180.16 |
78.63 |
|
7 |
New York |
3 hr and 12 mins |
3 |
14.59 |
176.88 |
77.90 |
|
8 |
Missouri |
2 hr and 33 mins |
4 |
14.71 |
178.00 |
74.15 |
|
9 |
Michigan |
2 hr and 40 mins |
3 |
14.84 |
180.10 |
73.92 |
|
10 |
Vermont |
3 hr and 5 mins |
2 |
14.51 |
197.68 |
72.97 |
|
11 |
Alabama |
2 hr and 25 mins |
3 |
14.91 |
193.08 |
71.55 |
|
12 |
Maine |
2 hr and 38 mins |
3 |
13.77 |
182.67 |
65.46 |
|
13 |
Mississippi |
2 hr and 9 mins |
4 |
14.85 |
185.14 |
65.24 |
|
14 |
Arizona |
2 hr and 59 mins |
3 |
14.46 |
166.57 |
64.52 |
|
15 |
New Mexico |
2 hr and 39 mins |
3 |
14.1 |
178.66 |
64.31 |
|
16 |
Washington |
2 hr and 29 mins |
3 |
13.62 |
184.97 |
62.16 |
|
17 |
New Jersey |
3 hr and 3 mins |
2 |
14.93 |
172.94 |
61.74 |
|
18 |
New Hampshire |
2 hr and 13 mins |
3 |
14.85 |
196.25 |
61.49 |
|
19 |
Pennsylvania |
3 hr and 2 mins |
2 |
14.88 |
173.32 |
60.52 |
|
20 |
South Carolina |
2 hr and 39 mins |
3 |
14.56 |
169.58 |
60.31 |
|
21 |
Connecticut |
3 hr and 16 mins |
2 |
14.77 |
167.02 |
59.35 |
|
22 |
Oregon |
2 hr and 20 mins |
4 |
13.78 |
177.20 |
58.41 |
|
23 |
Tennessee |
2 hr and 39 mins |
2 |
14.74 |
180.64 |
58.20 |
|
24 |
Ohio |
2 hr and 37 mins |
3 |
14.08 |
172.04 |
56.55 |
|
25 |
Kentucky |
2 hr and 30 mins |
2 |
14.7 |
183.33 |
55.18 |
The full methodology of the study is as follows:
To identify regions where patient safety is most at risk, this study analyzed performance data from Data.CMS.Govand Definitive Healthcare using a weighted index: Average ER Wait Times (40%), which tracks initial diagnostic delays; Patients Who Left Without Being Seen (30%), measuring missed diagnostic opportunities; Surgical Death Rates (20%), reflecting failures to recognize and diagnose complications; and Readmission Rates (10%), indicating potentially incomplete initial diagnoses or premature discharge.
The state-level death rate was determined by multiplying each hospital’s mortality score by its number of patients and then dividing by the total patient count for the state. This weighted average ensures that large hospitals treating thousands of patients have a greater influence on the ranking than small clinics with only a few cases.
