The $1.6 Trillion Question

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The $1.6 Trillion Question: If We're Spending So Much on Healthcare,

Why So Little Improvement in Quality?

Last year, the tab for US healthcare grew by almost 8%, to $1.6

trillion[1] but if we're spending so much, why is the quality of

healthcare improving so slowly, up only 2.8% last year?[2]

It's not because we aren't investing enough -- over $95 billion was

spent on medical research last year.[3] It has more to do with our

research priorities.

Ninety-nine cents of every research dollar is spent on new drugs and

medical devices. Only 1 penny is left over to fund the research that

ensures the safe and effective delivery of medical care to our

patients. Breakthroughs in robotics and genomics may make headlines,

but making sure that currently available drugs are getting to the

people who need them has a much more beneficial impact on population

health.

For example, the next generation of cholesterol-lowering drugs would

have to be 3 times more powerful than today's statins to deliver the

same population health benefits that would occur if everyone who

needs statins had access to these drugs.[4]

Today, health services researchers are making significant progress in

learning:

Which therapies are most effective against the most prevalent and

costly diseases;

How we can improve prevention and treatment of chronic conditions

like diabetes, asthma, and heart disease; and

How we can help physicians and hospitals use health information

technology to improve quality, safety, and efficiency.

It's a big job, but fortunately, health services research studies

cost much less than clinical trials or laboratory research. Modest

increases in health services research funding would go a long way to

improving the quality of healthcare, and finding answers to the $1.6

trillion question.

That's my opinion. I'm Dr. Carolyn Clancy, Director of the US Agency

for Healthcare Research and Quality.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/532247?rss