If you're wondering why medical mistakes like the one I described yesterday are being reported with greater frequency, you'll want to review the Commonwealth Fund Commission's first-ever National Scorecard on U.S. Health System Performance.

Compared to other nations, America scored a D (66), based on pitifully low scores taken from 37 different benchmarks. Even worse, the United States spends 16 percent of its gross domestic product on health care, higher than the other 22 nations evaluated in the report.

Among the benchmarks cited in the report with the correspondingly low U.S. scores:

• Infant mortality = 39.
• Needless emergency room visits that could've been treated in an office visit = 23.
• Adults receiving recommended screenings and preventative care = 61.

If America closed all the statistical gaps cited in the Commonwealth Fund report, the nation could prevent as many as 150,000 deaths annually and save up to $100 billion. With porous governance from the CDC and FDA focusing on crazy treatments and toxic drugs, however, I can't imagine scores improving any time soon.

The only way to improve the state of health care in America: Patients must take better responsibility for their own health and address the true cause of their disease and move away from needless drugs and surgical procedures that merely mask the problem. Fortunately, you have access to many free tools on my Web site to begin your journey toward optimal health.

The Commonwealth Fund September 20, 2006 Free Full PDF Reports

Yahoo News September 20, 2006

Detroit Free Press September 21, 2006