<<  <  >  >>

Policy Research, 1995.

United Kingdom was 5.7 versus 7.9 eight years

earlier. During the same time period, the rate in

61. Anderson, et al., "It's the Prices, Stupid."

Canada dropped to 5.3 from 6.8; Australia fell to

5.0 from 8.2; and New Zealand fell to 6.8 from 8.4.

62. The actuarial firm Milliman & Robertson has

See OECD Health Data 2001.

devised the "Length of Stay Efficiency Index,"

which compares average length of stay by diagno-

51. "Infant Mortality Statistics from the 1997 Period:

sis-related group (DRG) code and other factors, at

Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set," National Vital

www.hospitalefficiencybenchmarks.com. For a

Statistics Reports, Vol. 47, No. 23, July 30, 1999.

discussion of length of stay, see Helen Lippman,

"The Bottom Line on Length of Stay," Business and

52. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Infant Mortality

Health, April 2001.

Rates: 60 Largest U.S. Cities, 1995­1998, Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, April 19, 2002;

63. For example, a BBC report claimed that on any

and Infant Mortality: State Rankings, National

given day, around 6,000 (out of a total 186,000 hos-

Center for Health Statistics, 2000, Table 125.

pital beds) are occupied by "bed blockers." Two-

thirds of these are elderly patients in need of less-

53. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Infant Mortality

expensive community facilities. See Karen Allen,

Rates: 60 Largest U.S. Cities. Also see "U.S.

"Analysis: How to Beat NHS Gridlock," BBC News,

Childhood Mortality, 1950 through 1993: Trends

October 10, 2001, and "Bed-Blocking a Massive

and Socioeconomic Differentials," American

Problem," BBC News, April 17, 2002.

Journal of Public Health 86, no. 4, (April 1996):

505­12; George A. Kaplan, "Inequality in Income

64. See Jenny Booth, "Scandal of Stranded Hospital

and Mortality in the United States: Analysis of

Pensioners: Labour Accused over the Shortage of

Mortality and Potential Pathways," British Medical

Money and Nursing Home Places That Leaves

Journal 312 (April 20, 1996): 999­1,003; and Bruce

Patients Blocking NHS Beds, Reports Jenny Booth,"

P. Kennedy, "Income Distribution and Mortality:

Sunday Telegraph (London), August 12, 2001.

Cross-Sectional Ecological Study of the Robin

Hood Index in the United States," British Medical

65. Ibid.

Journal 312 (April 20, 1996): 1,004­07.

66. The U.S. occupancy rate of approximately 65

54. Gerard F. Anderson and Peter S. Hussey,

percent is far below Britain's rate of 84 percent.

"Multinational Comparisons of Health Systems

For information on Britain's bed occupancy rate,

Data," Commonwealth Fund, October 2000.

see UK Department of Health, "Publication of

Latest Statistics on Bed Availability and

55. Anderson et al., "Health Spending, Access, and

Occupancy for England, 2000­01," Press release,

Outcomes."

September 19, 2001.

56. Quoted in Economic Models, Ltd., The British

67. Richard G. A. Feachem, Neelam K. Sekhri, and

Health Care System (Chicago: American Medical

Karen L. White, "Getting More for Their Dollar: A

Association, 1976), p. 33.

Comparison of the NHS with California's Kaiser

Permanente," British Medical Journal (January 19,

57. Inequalities in Health, Black Report (London:

2002): 135­43.

UK Department of Health and Social Security,

1980).

68. Ibid. The authors noted, "There is ample evi-

dence that reduced length of hospital stay does

58. See, for example, "Postcode Lottery in Social

no harm and, in view of the risk of staying in hos-

Services," BBC News, October 13, 2000; "New

pital, may be beneficial," p. 143.

Health Tables Reveal Postcode Lottery," Ananova.

com, July 14, 2000; and "`Regional Lottery' of

69. Ibid.

Hospital Waiting Times," Ananova.com, August 31,

2000.

70. "Administrative Costs: Medicare Compared to

Private Insurance and HMOs, 1993," Figure 3.29,

59. Health Canada, "Minister Rock Announces

Table 3.29, prepared by the Congressional

Funding for Community Health and Research

Research Service; House Ways and Means

Initiatives in Alberta," Regional news release, July

Committee,  "Medicare  and  Health  Care

12, 1999.

Chartbook," February 27, 1997.

60. Arminée Kazanjian et al., "Fee Practice

71. Steffie Woolhandler, Terry Campbell, and

Medical Expenditures per Capita and Full-Time

David U. Himmelstein, "Costs of Health Care

Equivalent Physicians, 1993­1994," University of

Administration in the United States and

British Columbia, Centre for Health Services and

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