An International Comparative Performance of US Healthcare system

Executive Summary

Health is vital for the well-being of Homo sapiens. The foundation of Healthcare is laid on the principles of serving humanity. These principles draw guidelines that must be followed for developing an efficient healthcare system. Healthcare systems refer to a complete system in which government, healthcare service providers, medical experts, researchers, Financers and medical associations work together. The healthcare system of America has gone through a long phase of maturation and growth. The current system is the result of the rapid growth in the past decades. The situation has resulted in the variety of deficiencies and issues. Today there are 1025 states or local hospitals. There are only 208 hospitals with federal ownership. Only 21.5% of total hospitals are fully or partially governed by the government. The Common Wealth Fund report evaluates the performance of health care system on the basis of 5 key performance indicators; quality, efficiency, access to care, equity and healthy lives. Netherland was ranked first, and UK followed it closely. The US healthcare system performs well in terms of preventive measures. The projected short comings are mostly related to equity & access. The major identified issue is pertaining to the health insurance coverage. Moreover, the absence of a universal health care system is unique to US among the other developed nations. The healthcare system of USA is far better than most of the countries of the world. Among the industrialized nations, the health care system demonstrates weak performance.

Introduction2

Background4

Healthcare System in the United States of America5

Characteristics of US Healthcare: An Overview7

Performance Efficiency8

Third Party Corporations10

Managed Care Organizations11

Healthcare System Components11

Medical Insurance System13

Indicating efficiency of the US healthcare system14

Government Regulation16

Access & Equity17

Comparing with the International ranking20

Exploring “Access”20

Quality21

Safety23

Healthy Lives23

Conclusion25

References26

Appendix A31

An International Comparative Performance of US Healthcare system

Introduction

Since the beginning of human civilization, Homo sapiens have aligned their efforts for healthcare services. The roots of healthcare can be found in the origin of human civilization in the early days setting. In today's modern world, civilization has evolved to develop well-structured societies with appropriate healthcare structures. Healthcare systems need constant evaluation as they need reforms on a timely manner. These systems are critical for the well-being of a society. Healthcare needs change over a period of time.

With rapid advancement in the field of science and Technology, Public healthcare has evolved as an institution in developed countries. The developing countries also have streamlined their progress towards the advancement of healthcare systems. Healthcare is an important aspect of nation's development. The progress of any country is reflected in its Healthcare organizations. Medical science has made a tremendous progress in the last century. Besides all the discoveries, Medical experts emphasize on mitigating the disparities among the health services consumers. The foundation of Healthcare is laid on the principles of serving humanity. These principles draw guidelines that must be followed for developing an efficient healthcare system. People form the backbone of a country. It is essential for governments to ensure that such Public organizations maintain service ...