The Dartmouth Institute found wide variations in the rates of elective surgery in Minnesota and six other states in the "Great Plains region."
Here are some of the highs and lows, and rates for select Minnesota cities (per 1,000 Medicare enrollees):
• Mastectomy for early-stage breast cancer:
High: 2.3, Grand Forks, N.D.
Low: 0.3, Dubuque, Iowa
Minneapolis: 1.2
Duluth: 1.0
St. Cloud: 1.0
• Gallbladder surgery:
High: 4.4, Joplin, Mo.
Low: 2.0, Mason City, Iowa
St. Paul: 3.2
Duluth: 3.6
St. Cloud: 2.5
• Knee replacement:
High: 14.0, Lincoln, Neb.
Low: 8.5, Springfield, Mo.
Minneapolis: 11.5
Duluth: 13.4
St. Cloud: 13.8
• Heart bypass surgery:
High: 5.0, Wichita, Kan.
Low: 1.7, Rapid City, S.D., and Sioux City, Iowa
St. Paul: 2.5
Duluth: 3.3
St. Cloud: 2.5
The full report ("Great Plains" region) can be found at www.startribune.com/a1949.
Family members and a lawyer say they have been blocked from access to the bedside of Bonfilia Sanchez Dominguez, while her husband was detained and shipped to Texas within 24 hours.
