A study from the Commonwealth Fund has determined that more technology use and higher prices, and not increased usage of medical services, appear to be the primary forces behind higher U.S. healthcare spending. The study by the private foundation, which supports independent research on healthcare issues, found that the U.S. does not provide “notably superior” healthcare, yet spends more on it, than twelve other industrialized nations.
The amount of healthcare spending in the U.S. in 2009 was over 17 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), but only 12 percent or less in the other countries included in the study. Those other countries all provide universal healthcare, and all including the U.S. are struggling with rising healthcare costs. U.S. healthcare appears to rely more heavily on expensive technology than other nations, performing more MRIs and CT exams than other countries for which data was available.
Better care for patients can be provided with the effective implementation and use of an Electronic Health Records (EHR) system like Allscripts MyWay, Lytec MD, or Medisoft Clinical. Microwize Technology’s healthcare technology consultants can help with this process.