Post by Peter Ellis on May 18, 2012 21:54:10 GMT 1
Courtesy of SET
Defying the financial crisis and the warnings about its possible impact, European health care continues to improve its performance, according to the Euro Health Consumer Index (EHCI) released and presented at the European Parliament on Tuesday (May 15th).
"The gradual breakthrough of health consumer empowerment drives quality and access," Swedish private company Health Consumer Powerhouse (HCP) stated in the 6th edition of the survey, first launched in 2005.
This year's report covers a total of 34 countries, including the 27 EU member states, plus seven other European nations -- Albania, Croatia, Iceland, Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Switzerland.
The HCP, which monitors and compares health care systems in all those countries, and Canada, compiled this year's Index based on a combination of public statistics, patient polls and its own, independent research.
It ranked the surveyed nations on 42 indicators across five key areas for health consumers: patients' rights and information, accessibility of treatment [waiting times], medical outcomes, range and reach of services provided and pharmaceuticals. A country's overall score determines its position in the Index.
As in the previous survey published in 2009, the Netherlands was again named the best performer on health care in Europe, with 872 points out of a possible maximum of 1,000.
Serbia, which was not included in the previous report, ranked 34th in this year's Index, on the basis of its total score of only 451 points. Four other Southeast European countries -- Bulgaria, Romania, Macedonia and Albania -- were also ranked at the bottom of the table. Latvia was the only non-Balkan country included in this group.
The best performer among the eight Southeast Europe nations included in the index was Croatia. Its score of 655 points, up from 627 in 2009, entitled it to the 17th position in the table, ahead of Cyprus and Greece.
Dr. Arne Bjornberg, HCP COO and the head of the EHCI team, cited Croatia's high scores for medical outcomes, the same as Germany's, and health care information as the main reasons for its six-place jump from the 23rd in the previous survey.
"The most important are the treatment results, meaning outcomes, as we call it in the Index, in Croatia are pretty good for a country of modest financial capacity," he told SETimes.
Defying the financial crisis and the warnings about its possible impact, European health care continues to improve its performance, according to the Euro Health Consumer Index (EHCI) released and presented at the European Parliament on Tuesday (May 15th).
"The gradual breakthrough of health consumer empowerment drives quality and access," Swedish private company Health Consumer Powerhouse (HCP) stated in the 6th edition of the survey, first launched in 2005.
This year's report covers a total of 34 countries, including the 27 EU member states, plus seven other European nations -- Albania, Croatia, Iceland, Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Switzerland.
The HCP, which monitors and compares health care systems in all those countries, and Canada, compiled this year's Index based on a combination of public statistics, patient polls and its own, independent research.
It ranked the surveyed nations on 42 indicators across five key areas for health consumers: patients' rights and information, accessibility of treatment [waiting times], medical outcomes, range and reach of services provided and pharmaceuticals. A country's overall score determines its position in the Index.
As in the previous survey published in 2009, the Netherlands was again named the best performer on health care in Europe, with 872 points out of a possible maximum of 1,000.
Serbia, which was not included in the previous report, ranked 34th in this year's Index, on the basis of its total score of only 451 points. Four other Southeast European countries -- Bulgaria, Romania, Macedonia and Albania -- were also ranked at the bottom of the table. Latvia was the only non-Balkan country included in this group.
The best performer among the eight Southeast Europe nations included in the index was Croatia. Its score of 655 points, up from 627 in 2009, entitled it to the 17th position in the table, ahead of Cyprus and Greece.
Dr. Arne Bjornberg, HCP COO and the head of the EHCI team, cited Croatia's high scores for medical outcomes, the same as Germany's, and health care information as the main reasons for its six-place jump from the 23rd in the previous survey.
"The most important are the treatment results, meaning outcomes, as we call it in the Index, in Croatia are pretty good for a country of modest financial capacity," he told SETimes.