Despite reform and shifts in health policy, the United States healthcare system ranked last in quality compared with 10 other industrialized counties-just as it did in 2010, 2007, 2006, and 2004.
Despite reform and shifts in health policy, the United States healthcare system ranked last in quality compared with 10 other industrialized counties—just as it did in 2010, 2007, 2006, and 2004. The Commonwealth Fund, which compiled the report, also determined that US spending per capita was $8508. This is far more expensive than the second-most costly system in Norway—which spends $5669 per capita.
“Although the US spends more on healthcare than any other country and has the highest proportion of specialist physicians, survey findings indicate that from the patients” perspective, and based on outcome indicators, the performance of American healthcare is severely lacking,” read the report.
Other findings in the report focused on 5 main areas: quality, access, efficiency, equity, and quality of life. Compared with 10 other countries, the United States:
The Commonwealth Fund noted that while the Affordable Care Act has begun to implement some of the processes necessary for greater quality healthcare in the United States, there are still many changes that should be made.
“Many US hospitals and health systems are dedicated to improving the process of care to achieve better safety and quality, but the United States can also learn from innovations in other countries—including public reporting of quality data, payment systems that reward high-quality care, and a team approach to management of chronic conditions,” read the report. “Based on these patient and physician reports, and with the enactment of health reform, the United States should be able to make significant strides in improving the delivery, coordination, and equity of the health care system in coming years.”
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