Michigan Medicine, Our Trusted Link for June, 2021

 

University of Michigan Health

The University of Michigan healthcare system, headquartered in Ann Arbor, is known as Michigan Medicine. It is ranked #11 on the U. S. News Best Hospitals Honor Roll. For the state of Michigan, it's ranked the #1 hospital, and it also ranks high for 13 adult and 10 children's specialties.  The University of Michigan Medical School accepted its initial class in 1850, and in 1869 opened the first university-owned hospital in the U. S. On the U. of Michigan campus, the Medical Center contains the main hospital as well several specialty hospitals. Michigan Medicine also operates around 40 health centers around southeast Michigan. It employs over 20,000 people, including 3,500 on the academic staff.  In 1887, University of Michigan opened the Hygienic Laboratory, the first purpose-built place in the U.S. for studying bacteria, assisting in public health issues. In 1902 the nation’s first Department of Bacteriology was established there.  The faculty of the Medical School were among the first to experiment with radiology, and in 1913 appointed the first professor of roentgenology (now radiology) in the U. S.  Other pioneering steps at Michigan Medicine include 1905: the first Dermatology department in the U. S.  1906: an early Psychiatry department 1913: introduction of the EKG to American physicians 1922: the first hospital school for child patients 1926: a research institute for blood-related diseases 1928: world’s first successful lung removal 1934: first statistical department, for recording and providing access to patient data 1940: first U.S. human genetics program with a clinic for hereditary diseases 1959: first hospital gift shop, run by volunteers and providing grants for patients from the proceeds 1975: one of the first PhD programs in nursing research 2001: nation's first comprehensive Depression Center.  Specialties and Institutions Kresge Hearing Research Institute W.K. Kellogg Eye Center Brehm Center for Diabetes Research Geriatrics Center C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital The Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation The Biointerfaces Institute The Michigan Institute for Research in Critical Care MedSport sports medicine program The Rogel Cancer Center has been recognized as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute since 1991. In 2018, $150 million was donated by Richard and Susan Rogel to support both cancer patients and cancer researchers. The program stands out for its multidisciplinary approach and sharing of resources.

Cancer AnswerLine

Cancer Deaths in the Great Plains Region

Cancer is the number two cause of death in America, accounting for over 599,000 deaths in 2019, or about 21% of all deaths in the United States that year.  Thanks to improvements in medical knowledge, the cancer death rate has dropped modestly over the past twenty years. Whereas in 1999 the U.S. recorded 197.0 cancer deaths per 100,000 population, by 2019 the cancer death rate had dropped to 182.7 deaths per 100,000 population.  The national trend in cancer deaths is also seen in the seven-state Great Plains region of the country.  Although a region where the cancer death rate historically runs above the national average, the Great Plains region also saw its cancer death rate drop between 1999 and 2019, from 204.7 deaths per 100,000 population to 193.2 deaths per 100,000 population.  A closer review of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, reveals the following about cancer deaths in the Great Plains region of the country:

Cancer Deaths in the Great Plains Region

Area/Deaths	1999	2009	2019
IA	6,346	6,249	6,335
KS	5,334	5,319	5,619
MN	8,892	9,580	10,042
MO	12,186	12,472	12,873
NE	3,410	3,336	3,482
ND	1,366	1,243	1,316
SD	1,632	1,503	1,737
Region	39,166	39,702	41,404
U.S.	549,838	567,628	599,601
Area/Death Rate*	1999	2009	2019
IA	217.5	206.0	200.8
KS	199.2	187.8	192.9
MN	182.5	181.4	178.1
MO	219.1	209.2	209.7
NE	200.0	184.0	180.0
ND	212.0	186.9	172.7
SD	217.5	186.2	196.3
Region	204.7	194.7	193.2
U.S.	197.0	185.0	182.7

(*) number of cancer deaths per 100,000 population

Source: CDC Wonder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2019 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2020. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2019, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed on June 12, 2021

Physical Therapist Pay in the U.S. Southwest

Data released recently from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that there were nearly 221,000 physical therapists (PTs) at work in the United States as of May 2020.  About 22,000 of those working as physical therapists in the U.S. lived in the four-state Southwest region.  The Southwest region is a relatively good one for physical therapist pay, with three of the four states in the region having PT annual mean wage levels higher than the national average.  A deeper dive into BLS data from May 2020 reveals the following about PT employment and physical therapist pay in the U.S. Southwest:

Physical Therapist Pay in the U.S. Southwest

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
AZ	3,780	$91,930	15th
NM	1,460	$98,580	6th
OK	1,950	$92,670	13th
TX	14,710	$90,870	21st
U.S.	220,870	$91,680	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 2, 2021

Licensed Practical Nurse Pay in the Great Lakes Region

Recently published employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that, as of May 2020, there were more than 676,000 licensed practical nurses (LPNs) employed in the United States.  Also known as license vocational nurses (LVNs) in some parts of the country, licensed practical nurses make up one of the largest healthcare occupations in the U.S.  Approximately 96,000 of those LPN jobs were in the five-state Great Lakes region of the country. A closer examination of BLS data from May 2020 reveals the following about licensed practical nurse pay in the Great Lakes region of the U.S.:

Licensed Practical Nurse Pay in the Great Lakes Region

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
IL	19,630	$54,580	14th
IN	14,710	$47,890	30th
MI	12,700	$52,220	18th
OH	40,850	$46,590	35th
WI	8,050	$48,070	28th
U.S.	676,440	$50,090	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on April 26, 2021

Occupational Therapist Pay in the Great Plains Region

Recently released U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data from May 2020 indicated that there were just over 126,600 occupational therapists (OTs) employed in the U.S.  About 9,200 of those employed as occupational therapists lived in the seven-state Great Plains region of the country.  BLS data reveals the Great Plains region to be a very weak one in terms of OT pay, with OT annual mean wage levels in all states in the region falling below the national average for occupational therapists.  In fact, five states in the region ranked 40th or worse in the nation for OT annual mean wages.  A closer examination of the BLS data reveals the following about occupational therapist pay in the Great Plains region of the U.S. as of May 2020:

Occupational Therapist Pay in the Great Plains Region

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
IA	920	$82,130	36th
KS	1,490	$86,540	19th
MN	2,840	$77,790	44th
MO	2,180	$78,660	43rd
NE	940	$80,670	40th
ND	470	$73,280	50th
SD	390	$74,580	49th
U.S.	126,610	$87,480	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on April 26, 2021

Pharmacist Pay in the Far West Region of the U.S.

Recently published May 2020 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that there were more than 315,000 pharmacists employed in the United States.  About 48,000 of those employed as pharmacists in the U.S. lived in the six-state Far West region.  Generally speaking, the region is the strongest one in the nation for pharmacist pay.  The three best states in the nation for pharmacist annual mean wage levels were in the Far West U.S., and two other states in the region ranked in the top ten nationally.  BLS data from May 2020 details the following about pharmacist pay in Far West region of the U.S.:

Pharmacist Pay in the Far West Region of the U.S.

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
AK	470	$147,040	1st
CA	32,520	$146,070	2nd
HI	1,540	$128,780	10th
NV	2,790	$125,260	18th
OR	4,210	$136,700	3rd
WA	6,590	$129,970	8th
U.S.	315,470	$125,460	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 2, 2021

Heart Disease Deaths in the Southwest

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in U.S., accounting for more than 659,000 deaths in 2019, or about 23% of all deaths in the United States that year.  Advances in medical knowledge have contributed significantly to a decline in the heart disease death rate over the past twenty years. From 259.9 deaths per 100,000 population in 1999, by 2019 the heart disease death rate had dropped to 200.8 deaths per 100,000 population.  Even so, the heart disease death rate nationally has been creeping back up since the middle of the last decade.  The national experience with heart disease deaths is mirrored in the U.S. Southwest, where the 2019 death rate of 174.7 per 100,000 population was nearly 22% lower than it was in 1999.  A deeper look at data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, reveals the following about the trend in heart disease deaths in the Southwest region of the United States:

Heart Disease Deaths in the Southwest

Area/Deaths	1999	2009	2019
AZ	10,800	10,273	12,587
NM	3,452	3,214	4,245
OK	11,263	9,202	10,960
TX	43,418	38,077	46,139
Region	68,933	60,766	73,931
U.S.	725,192	599,413	659,041
Area/Death Rate*	1999	2009	2019
AZ	215.0	162.0	172.9
NM	190.9	157.8	202.4
OK	327.7	247.5	277.0
TX	211.2	153.5	159.1
Region	223.6	164.7	174.7
U.S.	259.9	195.4	200.8

(*) number of heart disease deaths per 100,000 population

Source: CDC Wonder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2019 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2020. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2019, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed on June 9, 2021

Drug Induced Deaths in New England

There were over 74,500 drug induced deaths in the United States in 2019, or about 22.7 drug induced deaths per 100,000 population.  Drug overdoses, both intentional and accidental, accounted for almost 95% of these fatalities.  In the twenty years from 1999 to 2019, the drug induced death rate per 100,000 population more than tripled nationally.  While all regions of the country experienced sharp increases in the number of drug induced deaths in the twenty years from 1999 to 2019, the experience in the six-state New England region was particularly bad.  During the same twenty year period that the national drug induced death rate more than tripled, in New England the death rate more than quadrupled.  From a drug induced death rate per 100,000 population that was already over 11% above the national average in 1999, by 2019 the region's drug induced death rate was more than 43% above the national average rate.  A review of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, reveals the following about drug induced deaths in the New England region.:

Drug Induced Deaths in New England

Area/Deaths	1999	2009	2019
CT	330	397	1,263
MA	512	916	2,312
ME	70	182	391
NH	62	172	420
RI	61	168	312
VT	31	57	142
Region	1,066	1,892	4,840
U.S.	19,128	39,147	74,511
Area/Death Rate*	1999	2009	2019
CT	9.7	11.1	35.4
MA	8.1	14.1	33.5
ME	5.5	13.7	29.1
NH	5.1	13.1	30.9
RI	5.9	15.9	29.5
VT	5.1	9.1	22.8
Region	7.7	13.1	32.6
U.S.	6.9	12.8	22.7

(*) number of drug induced deaths per 100,000 population

Source: CDC Wonder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2019 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2020. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2019, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed on June 5, 2021

Physician Assistant Pay in the Mid-East U.S. Region

Recently published May 2020 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) put physician assistant (PA) employment at just over 125,000 nationally.  Nearly 27,300 of those PA jobs were in the Mid-East region of the country.  BLS data revealed a mixed tale about pay levels for physician assistants in the region.  Two Mid-East U.S. states, New Jersey and New York, were among the ten best states in the country in terms of physician assistant annual mean wages.  However, every other state in the region had an average PA annual mean wage level that fell below the national average.  An examination of BLS data from May 2020 revealed the following about physician assistant pay in the Mid-East U.S. region:

Physician Assistant Pay in the Mid-East Region

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
DC	500	$114,330	24th
DE	440	$112,020	31st
MD	2,930	$114,970	23rd
NJ	2,350	$131,210	6th
NY	13,760	$126,370	9th
PA	7,300	$107,520	41st
U.S.	125,280	$116,080	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on April 24, 2021

Firearm Deaths in the Southeastern U.S.

There were more than 39,700 firearm deaths, or about 12.1 firearm deaths per 100,000 population, in the United States in 2019.  Nationally, by 2019 the number of firearms-caused deaths per 100,000 population had increased approximately 17% and 18% from 1999 and 2009 levels, respectively.  The twelve-state Southeast region saw its firearm death rate jump from 13.6 deaths per 100,000 population in 1999 to 16.1 deaths per 100,000 population in 2019.  Already a region with a higher firearms-caused death rate than most regions of the country in 1999, by 2019 the firearm death rate (per 100,000 population) in the Southeast was 33% higher than the national average.  A closer review of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, reveals the following about the trend in firearm deaths in the Southeastern U.S. over the past twenty years:

Firearm Deaths in the Southeastern U.S.

Area/Deaths	1999	2009	2019
AL	790	830	1,076
AR	388	465	580
FL	1,721	2,324	2,872
GA	1,105	1,247	1,695
KY	525	560	682
LA	779	810	1,013
MS	515	487	710
NC	1,057	1,112	1,397
SC	552	634	1,012
TN	848	966	1,270
VA	823	836	1,025
WV	250	251	300
Region	9,353	10,522	13,632
U.S.	28,874	31,347	39,707
Area/Death Rate*	1999	2009	2019
AL	17.8	17.4	21.9
AR	14.6	16.1	19.2
FL	10.9	12.5	13.4
GA	13.7	13.0	16.0
KY	13.1	13.0	15.3
LA	17.5	18.0	21.8
MS	18.2	16.5	23.9
NC	13.3	11.8	13.3
SC	13.9	13.8	19.7
TN	15.0	15.3	18.6
VA	11.8	10.5	12.0
WV	13.8	13.6	16.7
Region	13.6	13.5	16.1
U.S.	10.3	10.2	12.1

(*) number of firearm-caused deaths per 100,000 population; death count includes both intentional and unintentional fatalities caused by a firearm

Source: CDC Wonder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2019 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2020. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2019, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed on June 2, 2021

Chiropractor Pay in the New England Region

According to data recently published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), as of May 2020 there were just over 34,700 chiropractors employed in the United States.  About 1,300 of those employed as chiropractors lived in the six-state New England region.  For chiropractors, pay levels in the region are mixed.  About 70% of the region's chiropractors live in Connecticut, Massachusetts or New Hampshire, states where the annual mean wage for chiropractors top the national average.  Connecticut, in fact, ranked 5th nationally for chiropractor annual mean wages.  However, elsewhere in the region chiropractor pay falls below the national average. BLS data from May 2020 shows the following about chiropractor pay in the New England region:

Chiropractor Pay in the New England Region

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
CT	240	$102,290	5th
MA	570	$90,160	16th
ME	210	$80,210	29th
NH	130	$86,900	20th
RI	110	$81,000	27th
VT	70	$69,190	40th
U.S.	34,760	$83,830	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on April 21, 2021

Cancer Deaths in the Far West Region

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in America, accounting for more than 599,000 deaths in 2019, or 21% of all deaths in the U.S. that year.  With advances in medical know how, the cancer death rate has dropped modestly over the past twenty years, from 197.0 deaths per 100,000 population in 1999 to 182.7 deaths per 100,000 population in 2019.  The national trend in cancer deaths is also seen in the six-state Far West region of the country.  Already a region with a cancer death rate below the national average, the cancer death rate in the Far West declined from 165.0 deaths per 100,000 population in 1999 to 158.2 deaths per 100,000 population in 2019.  A deeper examination of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, reveals that the favorable trend in cancer deaths in the Far West region of the country has not been a universal experience, as both Alaska and Hawaii have seen their cancer death rates worsen over the past twenty years:

Cancer Deaths in the Far West Region

Area/Deaths	1999	2009	2019
AK	633	895	1,021
CA	53,067	55,991	59,512
HI	1,916	2,244	2,500
NV	3,556	4,461	5,434
OR	6,905	7,487	8,080
WA	10,653	11,922	12,960
Region	76,730	83,000	89,507
U.S.	549,838	567,628	599,601
Area/Death Rate*	1999	2009	2019
AK	101.3	128.1	139.6
CA	158.4	151.5	150.6
HI	158.3	166.6	176.6
NV	183.8	166.2	176.4
OR	203.5	196.6	191.6
WA	182.3	178.8	170.2
Region	165.0	159.1	158.2
U.S.	197.0	185.0	182.7

(*) number of cancer deaths per 100,000 population

Source: CDC Wonder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2019 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2020. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2019, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed on June 12, 2021

Health Services Management Pay in the Rocky Mountain Region

Health services managers, ranging from chief executives to front-line supervisors, are integral to maximizing the operational effectiveness of a wide variety of healthcare businesses, including hospitals, outpatient care centers, skilled nursing facilities, physicians' offices, and home health care providers. There were about 402,000 health service management jobs in the U.S. as of May 2020 according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  More than 14,400 of those employed as health services managers lived in the five-state Rocky Mountain region.  Except in Colorado, health services managers in the region typically earn less than the national average annual mean wage for their profession.  And two states in the region, Idaho and Montana, had annual mean wage levels for health service managers that ranked in the bottom ten nationally.  A closer examination of May 2020 BLS data shows us the following about health services management pay in the Rocky Mountain region:

Health Services Management Pay in the Rocky Mountain Region

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
CO	5,850	$122,090	19th
ID	2,070	$99,830	45th
MT	1,670	$100,790	42nd
UT	4,040	$107,660	34th
WY	840	$104,510	38th
U.S.	402,540	$118,800	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on April 21, 2021

Heart Disease Deaths in the Mid-East Region

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America, accounting for just over 659,000 deaths in 2019, or about 23% of all deaths in the U.S. that year.  With advances in medical knowledge, the incidence of death by heart disease has dropped considerably over the past twenty years, from 259.9 deaths per 100,000 population in 1999 to 200.8 deaths per 100,000 population in 2019.  That said, the heart disease death rate nationally has been creeping higher since the middle of the last decade.  The national experience with heart disease deaths is mirrored in the Mid-East region of the country.  While the heart disease death rate in the Mid-East region declined from 1999 to 2019, it did so to a greater extent than did most of the nation.  Whereas the region had a heart disease death rate per 100,000 population that was about 17% higher than the nation as a whole in 1999, by 2019 the Mid-East's heart disease death rate had dropped to only 12% above the national average.  A closer examination of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, reveals the following about the trend in heart disease deaths in the Mid-East region of the country:

Heart Disease Deaths in the Mid-East Region

Area/Deaths	1999	2009	2019
DE	2,011	1,796	2,053
DC	1,652	1,288	1,187
MD	12,080	11,210	11,770
NJ	23,493	18,086	18,716
NY	58,987	47,283	43,806
PA	41,707	32,297	32,299
Region	139,930	111,960	109,831
U.S.	725,192	599,413	659,041
Area/Death Rate*	1999	2009	2019
DE	259.5	201.4	210.8
DC	289.7	217.5	168.2
MD	229.9	195.6	194.7
NJ	281.0	206.6	210.7
NY	312.4	244.9	225.2
PA	340.1	255.0	252.3
Region	303.5	233.5	224.8
U.S.	259.9	195.4	200.8

(*) number of heart disease deaths per 100,000 population

Source: CDC Wonder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2019 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2020. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2019, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed on June 9, 2021