Broad measures show Americans use less health care than residents of typical peer countries: Utilization of physicians and hospitals in the U.S. compared with utilization levels across 13 OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries
| U.S. | OECD minimum | OECD maximum | 13-OECD-country median | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||
| Physicians | 0.73 | 3.23 | 1.63 | |
| Hospitals | 0.66 | 2 | 1.3 | |
| 1 |
Notes: For physician services, the utilization measure is physician visits normalized by population. For hospital services, the utilization measure is hospital stays (determined by discharges) normalized by population. U.S. levels are set at 1, and measures of utilization for other countries are indexed relative to the U.S. As described in Squires 2015, the data represent either 2013 or the nearest year available in the data. For the U.S., the data are from 2010. The 13 OECD countries included in Squires’s analysis are Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The U.S. is included in the median calculation.
Source: Data from Squires 2015
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