U.S. health system ranks last overall

The United States ranks last overall compared to six other industrialized countries-Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom-on measures of health system performance in five areas: quality, efficiency, access to care, equity, and the ability to lead long, healthy, productive lives, according to a Commonwealth Fund report.

The United States ranks last in value despite spending $7,290 per capita on healthcare in 2007 compared to the $3,837 spent per capita in the Netherlands, which ranked first overall, according to the report.

On two of four quality measures-effective care and patient-centered care-the United States ranks fourth. However, the United States ranks last when it comes to providing safe care, and next-to-last on coordinated care. American patients with chronic conditions are the most likely to report being given the wrong medication, the wrong dose, and a delayed abnormal test result.