The Worcester metropolitan area ranks seventh among New England’s largest metro areas for health when rated for access to care, quality hospitals and local specialists.
The Worcester region was 55th nationally among the largest metro areas, right between Chicago and Charlotte, as ranked by the health industry website Healthgrades.
One factor put Worcester above all else: access to care. Worcester ranked first nationally. Other scores were lower, however, including hospital quality and local specialists, both of which the region landed outside the top 60. It ranked 26th for population health.
Healthgrades scored each region based on access to care, including residents having health coverage that did not restrict seeing a doctor when needed; population health, including residents’ body mass index and reported physical activity in the past month; hospital quality, including hospital ratings and the market’s average measure of hospital clinical outcomes; and local specialists, including select specialists per capita.
The Burlington, Vt., region scored second nationally, behind Rochester, Minn., home of the acclaimed Mayo Clinic. Hartford landed eighth, Providence 15th, Boston 19th, Portland 39th and Springfield 46th.
