How Many More Studies Will It Take? A Collection of Evidence That Our Health Care System Can Do Better How Many More Studies Will It Take? A Collection of Evidence That Our Health Care System Can Do Better

The New England Healthcare Institute (NEHI) is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to transforming health care for the benefit of patients and their families. In partnership with members from all across the health care system, NEHI conducts evidence-based research and stimulates policy change to improve the quality and the value of health care. Together with this unparalleled network of committed health care leaders, NEHI brings an objective, collaborative and fresh voice to health policy. www.nehi.net. 3 The U.S. spends more money on health care than any other nation in the world. According to Medicare actuaries, the U.S. will spend nearly $2.3 trillion on medical care in 2007, representing approximately 16.7 percent of the nation's GDP. If health care spending remains unchecked, these National Health Expenditures are expected to grow to 20 percent of GDP by 2015. 1 However, in spite of this significant investment in health care services, we lag behind other developed countries in the world on many important measures of our health status. Given the discrepancies between what we invest in health care and what we receive back in health, many experts believe that a large portion of our health care dollars are wasted, with estimates suggesting that up to 30 percent of total spending could be eliminated without reducing health care quality at all. 2 If these conservative estimates are correct , this equals an almost $700 billion opportunity to improve the way we administer, manage, and deliver health care in the U.S. Realizing even a fraction of those savings would result in opportunities to redirect substantial funds to increase the quality of our health care and to provide access to care for every person in this country. There is a compelling need to address waste for three reasons. First, the cost savings associated with eliminating waste are likely to be very large. Second, collaborative efforts to control waste could spur an emphasis on evidence based practice that would lead to long-term quality improvement. Third, beyond economic arguments, wasteful spending may actually decrease the quality of health care. Unnecessary procedures and medicines, for example, expose the population to significant health risks, complications and even death. In addition, waste associated with the failure to follow accepted treatment protocols not only costs money, but decreases productivity, reduces quality of life, and may cause serious harm to patients. Although many policy experts and professional organizations have published well-regarded studies of …