Med Mal News

The Rand Corp., a nonprofit 'think-tank' that conducts research and analysis of various business, education, health and other problems, has released what it terms its 'first national report card on quality of health care in America.' The study's bottom-line conclusion was that 'all adults in the United States are at risk for receiving poor health care, no matter where they live; why, where, and from whom they seek care; or what their race, gender, or financial status is.' Rand Research Brief, http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9053-2/index1.html.

The study, called the Community Quality Index, measured the value of the health care provided to patients by gauging the extent to which recommended care instructions were followed. Researchers studied health care in 12 metropolitan areas: Boston; Cleveland; Greenville, SC; Indianapolis; Lansing, MI; Little Rock, AR; Miami; Newark, NJ; Orange County, CA; Phoenix; Seattle; and Syracuse, NY. Although the health facilities in these 12 areas varied considerably, and the economic profiles of the communities are dissimilar, the researchers found that patients in all 12 locations received only 50% to 60% of their recommended care. In nearly all the communities, diabetes care was the most problematic. Lead study author Eve A. Kerr, MD, MPH of the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Health Care System and the University of Michigan, said, 'What we now know is that it really doesn't matter where you live ' only about 50% of the time are you getting the recommended care. The lack of community level variation in overall quality should serve as a wakeup call to all communities to examine their own quality of care and determine how they can do a better job.'