How good is the quality of health care in the United States?

Studies over the past decade show chat some people are receiving more care than they need, and some are receiving less. Simple averages from a number of studies indicate that 50 percent of people received recommended preventi ve care; 70 percent, recommended acute care; 30 percent, contraindicated ac ute care; GO percent, recommended chronic care; and 20 percent, contraindic ated chronic care. These studies strongly suggest that the care delivered i n the United States often does not meet professional standards. Efforts to measure quality and report routinely on the results to the public at large would allow more definitive assessments of the status of the nation's healt h care and would enable us to single our the areas in need of improvement.