Full Description
Americans are accustomed to anecdotal evidence of the health care crisis. Yet, personal or local stories do not provide a comprehensive nationwide picture of our access to health care. Now, this book offers the long-awaited health equivalent of national economic indicators.
This useful volume defines a set of national objectives and identifies indicators?measures of utilization and outcome?that can "sense" when and where problems occur in accessing specific health care services. Using the indicators, the committee presents significant conclusions about the situation today, examining the relationships between access to care and factors such as income, race, ethnic origin, and location.
The committee offers recommendations to federal, state, and local agencies for improving data collection and monitoring.
This highly readable and well-organized volume will be essential for policymakers, public health officials, insurance companies, hospitals, physicians and nurses, and interested individuals.
Table of Contents
Front Matter
Summary
1. Introduction
2. A Model for Monitoring Access
3. Using Indicators to Monitor National Objectives for Health Care
4. Future Indicators
5. Recommendations
Appendix A: Developing Indicators of Access to Care: The Case for
HIV Disease
Appendix B: Developing Indicators of Access to Care: Waiting Lists
for Drug Abuse Treatment
Appendix C: Developing Indicators of Access to Care: The Case for
Migrants and the Homeless
Appendix D: Ambulatory-Care Sensitive Conditions and
Referral-Sensitive Surgeries
Index
Contents
1 Front Matter; 2 Summary; 3 1. Introduction; 4 2. A Model for Monitoring Access; 5 3. Using Indicators to Monitor National Objectives for Health Care; 6 4. Future Indicators; 7 5. Recommendations; 8 Appendix A: Developing Indicators of Access to Care: The Case for HIV Disease; 9 Appendix B: Developing Indicators of Access to Care: Waiting Lists for Drug Abuse Treatment; 10 Appendix C: Developing Indicators of Access to Care: The Case for Migrants and the Homeless; 11 Appendix D: Ambulatory-Care Sensitive Conditions and Referral-Sensitive Surgeries; 12 Index
