The only way is up for US healthcare. The nation has finished bottom of the pile in a survey of health provision in similarly developed countries.
Researchers with the , a foundation in New York City that promotes research on health issues, surveyed patients and doctors in seven leading industrialised countries: Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the UK and the US.
Based on a series of markers designed to assess healthcare quality, efficiency, ease of access, equality and the promotion of a long and healthy life, the US showed the biggest room for improvement, even though it spent $7290 per person on healthcare in 2007. The winners were the Netherlands, who achieved the best results despite spending just $3837 per person.
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, president of the Commonwealth Fund, attributes the Dutch success to the nation鈥檚 excellent primary care system, which stresses continuity. 鈥淧eople have been with the same doctor for a long period of time,鈥� she says.
Davis expects the US to perform better in future surveys, thanks in part to health reforms that in March. Increased spending on IT systems should also help by reducing inefficiencies such as duplicated diagnostic tests.
But don鈥檛 expect a rapid turnaround. Most of the provisions in the reform package on expanding health-insurance coverage will not take effect until 2014.
