Myth No. 1: Quality of Care in the U.S. Health System is the Best in the World

By PAUL KECKLEY According to Gallup surveys, four of five Americans believe the quality of care they receive is good or excellent, and the majority think it is the best available in the world. Surveys by Roper, Harris Interactive, Kaiser Family Foundation, Harvard’s Chan School of Public Health, and others show similar findings. And the public’s view hasn’t changed in two decades despite an avalanche of report cards about its performance, a testy national debate about health reform and persistent media attention to its shortcomings and errors. But is the public’s confidence in the quality of the care we provide based on an informed view or something else? It’s an important distinction. Two considerations are useful for context: Measuring quality of care objectively in the U.S. system is a relatively new focus. And we’re learning we’re not as good as they think we are. Historically, the public’s view about “quality of care” has been anchored in two strong beliefs: 1-the U.S. system has the latest technologies and drugs, the world’s best trained clinicians and most modern facilities, so it must be the best and 2-the care “I receive” from my physicians and caregivers is excellent because they’re all well-trained and smart. These beliefs are virtually unchanged since 2001 per Gallup. But since the turn of the Millennium, we’ve learned we’re probably not quite as good as they think we are. Three reports sparked the birth of the modern quality impr...
Source: The Health Care Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Paul Keckley Quality To Err is Human Source Type: blogs