US Ranked 7th out of 7 in Commonwealth Fund Health Care Study

Toro · Jun 23, 2010

Despite having the most expensive health care system, the United States ranks last overall compared to six other industrialized countriesAustralia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdomon measures of health system performance in five areas: quality, efficiency, access to care, equity and the ability to lead long, healthy, productive lives, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. While there is room for improvement in every country, the U.S. stands out for not getting good value for its health care dollars, ranking last despite spending $7,290 per capita on health care in 2007 compared to the $3,837 spent per capita in the Netherlands, which ranked first overall. ...

Key findings include:

On measures of quality the United States ranked 6th out of 7 countries. On two of four measures of qualityeffective care and patient-centered carethe U.S. ranks in the middle (4th out of 7 countries). However, the U.S. ranks last when it comes to providing safe care, and next to last on coordinated care. U.S. patients with chronic conditions are the most likely to report being given the wrong medication or the wrong dose of their medication, and experiencing delays in being notified about an abnormal test result.

On measures of efficiency, the U.S ranked last due to low marks when it comes to spending on administrative costs, use of information technology, re-hospitalization, and duplicative medical testing. Nineteen percent of U.S. adults with chronic conditions reported they visited an emergency department for a condition that could have been treated by a regular doctor, had one been available, more than three times the rate of patients in Germany or the Netherlands (6%).

On measures of access to care, people in the U.S. have the hardest time affording the health care they needwith the U.S. ranking last on every measure of cost-related access problems. For example, 54 percent of adults with chronic conditions reported problems getting a recommended test, treatment or follow-up care because of cost. In the Netherlands, which ranked first on this measure, only 7 percent of adults with chronic conditions reported this problem.

On measures of healthy lives, the U.S. does poorly, ranking last when it comes to infant mortality and deaths before age 75 that were potentially preventable with timely access to effective health care, and second to last on healthy life expectancy at age 60.

On measures of equity, the U.S. ranks last. Among adults with chronic conditions almost half (45%) with below average incomes in the U.S. reported they went without needed care in the past year because of costs, compared with just 4 percent in the Netherlands. Lower-income U.S. adults with chronic conditions were significantly more likely than those in the six other countries surveyed to report not going to the doctor when they're sick, not filling a prescription, or not getting recommended follow-up care because of costs.
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US ranks last among 7 countries on health system performance

Mad Scientist · Jun 23, 2010

But now that the government is gonna' be in charge of our health care we'll very soon zoom to the top of that list.

Granny · Jun 23, 2010

Mad Scientist said: ↑

But now that the government is gonna' be in charge of our health care we'll very soon zoom to the top of that list.
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Yes. And before you know it people from all those countries who can afford it will stop coming to the US for medical care they can't currently get in their own countries.

uscitizen · Jun 23, 2010

If they were ranked by profit instead of care the US might well be NUMBER ONE!

Epsilon Delta · Jun 23, 2010

Listen to me you pinko swine, America has the best health care in the world and everybody knows it.

We don't need no stinkin' studies! We don't need no stinkin' data! We don't need no stinkin' facts!

It's the feeling, that feeling in your gut that says "Gosh darn it, this is the best country in the world at everything and health care just ain't no different."

Yes sirrreee, go back to Canada and take yer STINKIN' EDUCATION WITH YA!

Communist! = Socialist! = Islamist! Arrrrrghhhh!!! Grrrrhhhrhrhrhhhhh.... uhh........

We need a cross-eyed smilie.

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US Ranked 7th out of 7 in Commonwealth Fund Health Care Study

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US Ranked 7th out of 7 in Commonwealth Fund Health Care Study

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