Saturday, April 08, 2006
HealthDay NEWS
Even though the United States spends more than twice as much per capita on health care as some other western nations, it trails them in such measures as efficiency, equity, and patient safety and access to care, according to two new reports.
The United States did score well on effectiveness of care, especially preventive care. But Americans also contend with big disparities in health care, primarily due to differing income levels, the studies found.
There's a persistent myth that U.S. health care is the best in the world, said Dr. Donald M. Berwick, president and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. But, he added, "The U.S. is far from the best health-care system in the world, even though it's by far the most expensive."
The reports were prepared by The Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit group that works to improve health care in the United States. They looked at differences in health care in Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
"What is disturbing about these findings is that while the U.S. ranked first on health-care spending in the world, we are often last in measures of quality of care," said Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis. "Higher spending doesn't mean that we receive more or better care -- we simply pay more."
¶ 8:25 PM The United States did score well on effectiveness of care, especially preventive care. But Americans also contend with big disparities in health care, primarily due to differing income levels, the studies found.
There's a persistent myth that U.S. health care is the best in the world, said Dr. Donald M. Berwick, president and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. But, he added, "The U.S. is far from the best health-care system in the world, even though it's by far the most expensive."
The reports were prepared by The Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit group that works to improve health care in the United States. They looked at differences in health care in Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
"What is disturbing about these findings is that while the U.S. ranked first on health-care spending in the world, we are often last in measures of quality of care," said Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis. "Higher spending doesn't mean that we receive more or better care -- we simply pay more."
