An examination of health care in the U.S. finds that despite the extraordinary economic success of many of its participants, the health care system has performed relatively poorly by some measures; and that outcomes have improved, but more slowly than in the past and more slowly than in comparable countries, according to an article in the November 13 issue of JAMA , a theme issue on critical issues in U.S. health care.
Hamilton Moses III, M.D., of the Alerion Institute, North Garden, Va., and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, presented the article at a JAMA media briefing at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Moses and colleagues from The Boston Consulting Group and University of Rochester, using publicly available data, conducted an analysis to identify trends in health care, principally from 1980 to 2011. The areas they addressed included the economics of health care; the profile of people who receive care and organizations that provide care; and the value created in terms of objective health outcomes and perceptions of quality of care. In addition, they examined the potential factors driving change, including consolidation of insurers and health systems; health care information; and the patient as consumer.
Among the findings:
Economics and Outcomes
Contributors to Costs
In addition, the researchers note that findings from their analysis contradict several common assumptions:
Contributors to Change
The authors add that three factors have produced the most change:
These forces create a triangle of tension among patient aims for choice, personal attention, and unbiased guidance; physician aims for professionalism and autonomy; and public and private payer aims for aggregate economic value across large populations. "Measurements of cost and outcome (applied to groups) are supplanting individuals' preferences. Clinicians increasingly are expected to substitute social and economic goals for the needs of a single patient."
The researchers write that at the highest level, the U.S. health system is struggling to adapt to competing goals, desires, and expectations. "The conflict among patient desires, physician interests, and social policy is certain to increase. Those tensions will likely become a palpable force that may hinder care integration and inhibit other changes that favor improved outcome and savings. The usual approach is to address each constituency in isolation rather than optimizing efforts across them. The triangle will need to be reconciled. This is the chief challenge of the next decade."
"A national conversation, guided by the best data and information, aimed at explicit understanding of choices, tradeoffs, and expectations, using broader definitions of health and value, is needed."
(doi:10.l001/jama.2013.281425; Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com )
Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
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