U.S. Ranks Last in International Survey

The U.S. healthcare system ranks last or second to last compared with five other nations on measures of quality, access, efficiency, equity, and outcomes, according to the third edition of a Commonwealth Fund report analyzing international health policy surveys.

Key findings in the report, entitled "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: An International Update on the Comparative Performance of American Health Care" include:

• On measures of quality, the United States overall ranked fifth out of six countries.
• On access measures, the United States ranked last overall, including last on timeliness of care.
• On efficiency, the United States ranked last overall, including last on percent of patients who have visited the emergency room for conditions that could have been treated by a regular doctor if one had been available.

Key findings in the report, entitled "Multinational Comparisons of Health Systems Data" 2006, include:

• In 2004 the United States spent the most per capita on hospital services, and Canada and Japan spent the least.
• The United States spent twice the OECD median per capita on drugs in 2004.
• 30.6 percent of individuals in the United States were obese in 2004, compared with 13 percent of the OECD median.
• The United States had about two and a half times the OECD median for years of potential life lost due to diabetes.