In The News

More does not mean better when it comes to the healthcare Americans receive. It's estimated that 30 percent of healthcare spending - $600-700 billion - is unnecessary and wasteful.¹ Overuse puts patients at risk, drains resources, and makes healthcare more costly, less accessible, and less effective.

Beyond the negative impact of wasted resources that we can ill afford, inappropriate use can cause harm to millions of Americans.

Ensuring access to reliable patient-centered primary care is an important step in eliminating waste. A consistent primary care provider can help reduce costly complications and unnecessary hospitalizations. Evidence shows that Americans are more likely to be seen in an emergency department for a condition that is treatable by a primary care professional than in six other developed countries.² 

¹_{IOM, National Academy of Engineering, Building a Better Delivery System: A New Engineering/Health Care Partnership, Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2005.
²The Commonwealth Fund, Why Not the Best? Results from the National Scorecard on U.S. Health System Performance, 2008, New York: Commonwealth Fund; 2006.}