The Northeast Ohio region centered on the city of Akron and Summit County as well as parts of nearby counties stands out, along with Stockton, Calif., for having improved on more performance measures (19 of 33) than any other region on the Commonwealth Fund's Scorecard on Local Health System Performance, 2016 Edition. The region has made notable progress expanding access to care. Health systems also have strengthened primary care and improved care transitions, which may explain reductions in potentially avoidable hospitalizations and unplanned readmissions. Collaboration across health and social service sectors is a hallmark of the region, exemplified by use of a shared set of measures assessing residents' quality of life. But to address deep-seated problems, such as the high black infant mortality rate, leaders say the region also will need to make specific commitments and potentially reallocate resources to see improvement.
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