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Forlife Better Health Health Better Health for Better Health Care Life National Fr amework for Change Health Fo cus on Cove rage for All W e llness Paid for by All Health for Life; Better Health, Best Better Health Care Most Efficient, Information Affordable Highest Quality Care Care Highest Quality Care he U.S. health care system has some countries such as Australia, Canada care will require concerted action from Tof the best to offer. U.S. spend- and the United Kingdom, the U.S. has all stakeholders. Areas that must be ing per person on health care surpasses among the highest medical error rates, addressed include: ensuring medical every other industrialized country,1 and most inefficient coordination of care and practice is consistent with the most cur- highly trained clinicians supply care in the highest out-of-pocket costs for care, rent research, coordinating care across state-of-the art facilities equipped with which impede patient access.3 settings and over time, and measuring the latest in medical technology.2 Yet, Addressing these issues to create a and rewarding excellent performance. when compared to other industrialized system that provides the highest quality Making Strides and Aiming Higher The Institute of Medicine defines health Patients receive only about half of recommended care. care quality as “the degree to which health care services for individuals and Chart 1: Percent of Recommended Care Received, by Type of Care populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consis- 60% tent with current professional knowl- 59% d 58% edge.”4 In short: patients get exactly the care that they need, when they need eceive 56% 56% it, without undergoing unnecessary or 55% 55% inappropriate treatments. 55% 54% In contrast, poor quality relates to underuse – patients do not get the care 52% they should; overuse – patients get care ecommended Care R they don’t need; or misuse – patients % R experience preventable complications of 50% care.5 Recent attention to the gaps in qual- OverallPreventiveAcuteChronic Screening Diagnosis Treatment Follow-up ity, and opportunities to improve it, has Type of Care Source: McGlynn, E., et al. (2003). The Quality of Health Care Delivered to Adults in the United States. New England Journal of Medicine, 348(26), 2642. led to a surge of activity among providers, ings or preventive care for those at risk insurers, employers and others with docu- for developing disease, care to manage mented gains. But more work remains. a specific chronic disease like asthma Adults today on average receive or diabetes, or the optimal course of only about half of recommended care.6 treatment for an acute condition like a Recommended care may include screen- stroke or heart attack. More on Health for Life at www.aha.org HIGHEST QUALITY CARE Disparities in care due to race, ethnic- For example, medication errors, one to the additional costs of care to address ity, income and other factors also affect of the most common types of medical the error, plus costs attributable to lost the likelihood of individuals receiving errors, harm at least 1.5 million people income, reduced productivity at home the care they need.7 For example, each every year.11 And a recent study found and work, and disability.13 year, diabetics should receive three that more than one in six hospitalized A number of factors impede the abil- preventive services: an eye exam, a patients experienced medical errors that ity of our health care system to provide foot exam and hemoglobin A1c testing. prolonged their hospital stay.12 Errors the best care possible. In some cases, we However, Hispanic adults with diabetes can result in a tragic loss of life. And lack information about what the most are much less likely than their non- the societal costs of medical errors range appropriate care actually is. In other Hispanic white counterparts to receive from $17 to $29 billion annually due cases, we have the information, but have all three services. Similarly, high-income adults are more likely than low-income Racial and ethnic disparities exist in care for people adults to get this care.8 Differences in with the same coverage. disease outcomes – for instance, African-American women are more Chart 2: Percent of Medicare Beneficiaries Receiving Recommended Care by Race, 2002 likely to die from breast cancer once the disease is detected than are white women9 – also suggest disparities that 80% must be addressed. 70.7% But more care is not always better White care. There is great variation across 62.4% the country in the amount of care Black 60% delivered for comparable conditions. rcentage 55.8% Pe 53.8% 54.5% For example, a senior citizen living 50.1% in Kentucky is nearly twice as likely to have heart bypass surgery than one 10 living in Colorado. However, more 40% care does not necessarily lead to better Mammogram Eye Exam Influenza Vaccination health outcomes. While hospitals, doctors, nurses and Recommended Care other care givers aim to provide quality Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2006). National Healthcare Disparities Report. Gaithersburg, MD. care every day, the safety of our current health care system can be improved. Care patterns vary widely across the U.S. Chart 3: Difference in Hospital Discharges for Heart Bypass Surgery, by State, 2003 6.3 ) 5.9 5.7 5.4 Discharges 55% ry 4.4 4.2 Percent of recommended 3.2 care adults receive t Bypass Surge 2.3 (per 1,000 Medicare Enrollees Number of Hear Hawaii Colorado MinnesotaMontana FloridaDelawareNorth Kentucky Dakota Source: The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care. (2005). Cardiac Surgery. Available at http://www.dartmouthatlas.org/atlases/bibliography.shtm. 2 HEALTH FOR LIFE difficulty getting it into the hands of for – also can be a barrier to effective even harmful care, and wasted resources. clinicians. The U.S. has invested heavily care delivery. About half of physicians A recent study found that 22 percent of in medical research, and advances in deliver services in solo or small group patients have received duplicative tests medicine abound. Yet it still takes 15-20 practices, with limited or no access to ordered by different doctors.16 Current years for research findings and new patients’ full medical histories, includ- payment systems reward providers for treatments to be fully incorporated into ing care provided in other settings the number of services provided wheth- clinical practice.14 and medications or therapies pre- er those services are needed or not and The structure of the health care scribed.15 Lack of coordination across performed well or poorly. Additionally, system – how care is organized and paid providers can lead to duplicative, or some high-value services, like care coor- dination, are not paid for at all. Medical errors and unnecessary treatment occur. Hospitals, doctors, nurses and oth- ers are more focused today on quality Chart 4: Percent of Adults Reporting a Time They Experienced Errors or Duplicative improvement. They have instituted Care in the Past Two Years patient safety initiatives to decrease the frequency of medical errors and to Provider Ordered a Test that improve quality of care. The National 17% had Already Been Done Healthcare Quality Report has found steady improvement across a variety of Medical, Surgical, Medication, measures across multiple dimensions of or Lab Test Error 17% quality and different provider types.17 Accelerating the pace of improve- Provider Failed to Share Important Medical History or Test Results 19% ment, however, will require broader with Other Doctors or Nurses change at the system level to improve our knowledge of what is the best qual- Provider Recommended ity care; to measure whether doctors, Unnecessary Care or Treatment 25% hospitals and others are applying this knowledge in practice; and to reward Any of the Above 42% excellent performance. Source: The Commonwealth Fund. (August 2006). Public Views on Shaping the Future of the U.S. Health Care System. New York, NY. Health Care System Changes to Consider Using Research to Guide have called for a national investment in cians and patients make better-informed Treatment Decisions research comparing the benefits and risks treatment decisions.19 Where scientific Proven treatments are often referred to – and sometimes costs – of the multiple knowledge about the best treatments as evidence-based care. Recognizing the health care options that exist for given does exist, providers need ready access to need for better information on evidence- conditions.18 Such research could elevate it. Tools that make it easier for clinicians based care, many health care leaders quality of care by helping both clini- to incorporate new research findings “Our challenge is not to continue debating the existence of disparities; the evidence is overwhelming. Our challenge now is to develop and implement strategies to reduce from the field “ ” and eliminate those disparities.” – John C. Nelson, MD, MPH, AMA Immediate Past President, and Randall W. Maxey, MD, PhD, NMA Past President 3 HIGHEST QUALITY CARE into their care delivery can help improve Evidence-based care can improve patient outcomes. quality of patient care. For instance, clinical guidelines – specific recom- Chart 5: Mortality Rates Following Hospital Admission for Heart Attack mendations on the appropriate course of care for patients with a given condition 24% – help providers deliver effective and 20 efficient care. Patients and their fami- 14% lies also benefit from publicly available, easy-to-access, trustworthy information, that compares treatment options. For example, access to the results of a recent study comparing older, generic blood pressure drugs and the newer, more expensive ones can help patients make an informed medication choice.21 Encouraging Improvement Patients Given Asprin Within Patients Not Given Asprin Through Measurement Tw o Days of Admission Measuring and reporting quality indica- tors is one strategy to narrow the gap Source: Krumholz, H.M., et al.
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