Deaths of Americans age 18 and over hospitalized for pneumonia plummeted by 45 percent between 2000 and 2007 regardless of who paid for their care, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The federal agency found that between 2000 and 2007, the average death rate due to pneumonia fell from 74 to 41 deaths per 1,000 admissions. At 23 deaths per 1,000 admissions, Arizona had the lowest pneumonia-related death rate for hospitalized patients, followed closely by Maryland, with 26 deaths per 1,000 admissions.
AHRQ also found that in 2007, eight states reported 50 or more deaths per 1,000 admissions:
Nebraska -- 57 deaths per 1,000 admissions
Wyoming -- 55 deaths per 1,000 admissions
Hawaii -- 55 deaths per 1,000 admissions
West Virginia -- 54 deaths per 1,000 admissions
Arkansas -- 53 deaths per 1,000 admissions
Oklahoma -- 53 deaths per 1,000 admissions
New York -- 52 deaths per 1,000 admissions
Vermont -- 50 deaths per 1,000 admissions
The 2007 pneumonia-related death rates of the other states ranged from 30 to 49 deaths per 1,000 admissions.
Hospital privatization leads to lower quality care, study reveals