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Texas Ranks Low on Quality of Care

On all but a few of the quality measures assessed by the Commonwealth Fund in their 2007 State Scorecard report, Texas scored below the median state average. Measures ranged from the percent of the elderly who receive adequate screening and preventative care to the percent of children 19-35 months who received all recommended vaccines. Texas ranked particularly low on quality of care for children – for example, Texas scored 51^st for “percent of children with emotional, behavioral, or developmental problems [who] received some mental health care in the past year.”[1] However the state received a much higher ranking on quality of care to Medicare patients and nursing home patients. The state ranked 19^th for percent of Medicare patients “whose health care provider always listens, explains, shows respect, and spends enough time with them.”[2] Again, the fact that Texas has a relatively smaller elderly population when compared to the rest of the U.S. should be kept in mind when assessing these findings (see TX/US Medicaid Fact Sheet for demographic make-up of the state in comparison to the country).

Commonwealth Fund Scorecard on Texas

Click on the Scorecard to view the full report on Texas - on the linked site, each tab opens up a set of indicators used to measure each dimension (access, quality, quality, avoidable costs, and healthy lives).