David Wilkerson has his blood pressure taken by nurse Paula Gaston at Milwaukee Health Services. Wisconsin ranked seventh in a report by the Commonwealth Fund. Credit: Mike De Sisti

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Wisconsin ranks seventh in the country in the overall performance of its health system and has made gains in reducing infant mortality and improving care for people covered by Medicare, according to a report released by the Commonwealth Fund.

But the Scorecard on State Health System Performance, which tracks how states performed on 42 measures, also shows areas where Wisconsin has made no progress, such as the percentage of adults under 65 who have lost six or more teeth.

"There is room for improvement in every state, said David Blumenthal, a physician and president of the Commonwealth Fund, an organization based in New York that supports health policy research.

The measures include health care access, quality, costs and outcomes between 2007 and 2012. And how states perform on those measures can vary widely.

"Where you live matters, and it matters a lot," said Cathy Schoen, senior vice president for policy, research and evaluation at the Commonwealth Fund.

Wisconsin typically ranks relatively high in various studies on health care quality.

Most states improved on measures that have been the focus of national and state attention, such as immunizations for children and reducing hospital re-admissions.

But performance worsened on nearly as many measures as it improved in most parts of the country, according to the report.

"We certainly were hoping we would see more progress across the states," Blumenthal said.

Overall, Wisconsin showed improvement on 11 measures, did worse on seven and had no change on 16 since 2009. Data for all 42 measures were not available.

Measures on which the state has not shown any progress or has done worse include:

■ Years of potential life lost before the age 75.

■ Adults 18-64 who are obese.

■ Hospital admissions for pediatric asthma.

Measures in which the state has shown progress include:

■ Recommended doses of seven key vaccines for children 19 to 35 months old.

■ A decrease in the number of patients 65 and older who received drugs that should be avoided by the elderly.

■ A decrease in hospital readmission rates for patients covered by Medicare.

The report suggests the potential for improvement in the health system.

"None is at the top of every measure," Schoen said.

Yet if every state achieved the top rates of performance, the Commonwealth Fund estimated that:

■ 1 million fewer people covered by Medicare would receive a potentially unsafe or inappropriate prescription.

■ 84,000 fewer people would die before age 75 from treatable diseases.

■ 9 million fewer adults under age 65 would have lost 6 or more teeth to decay or gum disease.

STATE Health

System Rankings

Highest rankings:

1. Minnesota

2. Massachusetts

3. New Hampshire

4. Vermont

5. Hawaii

6. Connecticut

7. Maine (tie)

7. Wisconsin (tie)

9. Rhode Island

10. Delaware (tie)

10. Iowa (tie)

Lowest rankings:

41. Florida

42. Kentucky

43. Indiana

44. Texas

45. Georgia

46. Alabama

47. Nevada

48. Louisiana

49. Oklahoma

50. Mississippi