The following are the standardized infection ratios — observed to expected infection rates — for surgical site infections from colon surgery for every state and Washington, D.C.
SIRs that are less than one indicate the state had fewer SSIs from colon surgery than would have been predicted. SIRs greater than one indicate infection rates were higher than would be predicted.
For SIRs less than one, subtracting the SIR from one shows the percent decrease in SSIs from the baseline (an SIR of 0.70 means there was a 30 percent reduction from baseline). For SIRs greater than one, subtracting one from the SIR shows the percent increase in SSIs from colon surgery (an SIR of 1.25 means there was a 25 percent increase from baseline).
Here, states are listed from smallest to largest SIR, or from the states with the lowest infection rates to the highest infection rates as compared with expected infection rates.
Note: Data was gleaned from CMS' Hospital Compare database, and the reporting period was from October 2012 through September 2013. SIRs show the state's individual progress in reducing SSIs after colon surgery and are not meant to compare the states to one another.
Alabama — 0.561
Delaware — 0.635
Mississippi — 0.647
Missouri — 0.696
Wyoming — 0.728
Arkansas — 0.754
Colorado — 0.757
Texas — 0.757
New Jersey — 0.775
Oregon — 0.775
Kentucky — 0.782
Georgia — 0.79
Illinois — 0.793
New Mexico — 0.794
Florida — 0.799
South Dakota — 0.811
California — 0.827
Ohio — 0.837
South Carolina — 0.837
New Hampshire — 0.884
Idaho — 0.896
Montana — 0.911
North Carolina — 0.918
Pennsylvania — 0.934
Washington, D.C. — 0.941
Virginia — 0.944
Maryland — 0.951
Tennessee — 0.967
Michigan — 0.976
West Virginia — 0.978
Wisconsin — 0.992
Washington — 0.994
Minnesota — 1.043
Nevada — 1.06
Iowa — 1.08
Louisiana — 1.117
Indiana — 1.119
North Dakota — 1.126
Massachusetts — 1.137
Alaska — 1.144
Arizona — 1.145
Oklahoma — 1.162
New York — 1.174
Kansas — 1.219
Nebraska — 1.261
Connecticut — 1.296
Hawaii — 1.31
Rhode Island — 1.325
Maine — 1.369