OBJECTIVES Primary care is the key element of health reform in China. The objective of this study was to compare patient assessed quality of public primary care between Hong Kong, a city with established primary care environment influenced by its colonial history, and Shanghai, a city leading primary care reform in Mainland China; and to measure the equity of care in the two cities. METHODS C...

WHATEVER FORM IT TAKES, HEALTH CARE REform will increase the number of Americans covered by health insurance. But there is concern that the legislation will not bend the cost curve—that is, will not reduce the growth of health care costs so that it more closely resembles the growth of the US gross domestic product (GDP). Currently, health care consumes about 16% of the GDP; advocates of bending...

P care crisis is a phrase we have heard many times. Often, it reflects not just a societal circumstance but the reality for health care professionals working firsthand with the medically underserved or vulnerable populations. These professionals are considered safety net providers because they deliver health care to uninsured patients, underinsured patients, and Medicaid patients. Safety net pr...

BACKGROUND The local municipality, whose management style is largely inspired by the New Public Management (NPM) model, has administrative responsibilities for primary health care in Norway. Those responsible for health care at the local level often find themselves torn between their professional responsibilities and the municipality's market-oriented funding system. The introduction of the new...

Family physicians' scope of work is exceptionally broad, particularly with increasing rurality. Provisions for Medicare bonus payment specified in the health care reform bill (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) used a narrow definition of primary care that inadvertently offers family physicians disincentives to delivering comprehensive primary care.

It is widely recognized that the dramatic increase in health care costs in the United States has not led to a corresponding improvement in the health care experience of patients or the clinical outcomes of medical care. In no area of medicine is this more true than in the area of spine related disorders (SRDs). Costs of medical care for SRDs have skyrocketed in recent years. Despite this, there...

This article analyzes Dutch experiences of health care reform--in particular in primary care--with emphasis on lessons for current United States health care reforms. Recent major innovations were the introduction of private insurance based on the principles of primary care-led health care and including all citizens irrespective of their financial, employment, or health status; introduction of p...

INTRODUCTION The Norwegian health care system is well organized within its two main sectors-primary health and long-term care on the one hand, and hospitals and specialist services on the other. However, the relation between them lacks mediating structures. POLICY PRACTICE Enhancing coordination between primary and secondary health care has been central in Norwegian health care policy in the ...

Shortages in, and maldistribution of, the primary health care workforce will continue to limit access to health care. The current health reform proposals and policies recognise workforce development as a priority, but only partially address the barriers to improvement. In particular, there will need to be more systematic development of interdisciplinary education within primary health care serv...