Your javascript is turned off. Javascript is required to view exhibits Back to top Seven principles to guide health care reform While these principles are not necessarily new they provide a systematic basis for aligning supply with demand and thus for characterizing the levers available to a health system's policy makers. The framework of the seven principles will give policy makers an additional tool for com paring a health system' s performance with others and, when necessary, for reprioritizing areas of reform-to optimize performance and to reconcile the inherent conflicts among the objectives of access, quality, and cost. 1. Prevent illness and injury Most health care systems focus on care for those already ill or injured. Yet policies aimed at promoting health and reducing the amount of sickness and injury decrease the demand for medical services and may produce better health outcomes at lower cost. Obvious as this opportunity might seem, many reformers prefer to deal with more complicated matters before addressing it, perhaps in part because they believe that health and wellness are personal matters while access to care and its financing are more political ones. we have identified four levers that help prevent illness Build an infrastructure to support basic levels of hygiene. Proper sanitation, clean drinking water, and safe, reliable energy all have an im pact on health. Inner cities, remote areas of developed countries, and developing economies typically fall short in these areas. Reduce environmental hazards. The link between pollution and illness is now well accepted. Despite the improvements some nations have made, large variations in pollution levels and environmental standards persist around the world-the United States em its nearly five times more carbon monoxide per capita than the United Kingdom, Germany, or Japan, for instance In national debates, health system leaders must illustrate the link between environment and health more forcefully Establish effective and comprehensive immunization programs. Even in some developed countries, immunization programs fall short of reaching 100 percent of the population. In developed countries, the vaccination rates of one-year-olds for measles and hepatitis b, for example vary from 8o to 99 percent and from o to 2 percent, respectively. Even allowing for questions about the efficacy and possible side effects of some vaccines, we believe that immunization rates should be more uniformYour javascript is turned off. Javascript is required to view exhibits. Back to top Seven principles to guide health care reform While these principles are not necessarily new, they provide a systematic basis for aligning supply with demand and thus for characterizing the levers available to a health system’s policy makers. The framework of the seven principles will give policy makers an additional tool for comparing a health system’s performance with others and, when necessary, for reprioritizing areas of reform—to optimize performance and to reconcile the inherent conflicts among the objectives of access, quality, and cost. 1. Prevent illness and injury Most health care systems focus on care for those already ill or injured. Yet policies aimed at promoting health and reducing the amount of sickness and injury decrease the demand for medical services and may produce better health outcomes at lower cost. Obvious as this opportunity might seem, many reformers prefer to deal with more complicated matters before addressing it, perhaps in part because they believe that health and wellness are personal matters, while access to care and its financing are more political ones. We have identified four levers that help prevent illness. Build an infrastructure to support basic levels of hygiene. Proper sanitation, clean drinking water, and safe, reliable energy all have an impact on health. Inner cities, remote areas of developed countries, and developing economies typically fall short in these areas. Reduce environmental hazards. The link between pollution and illness is now well accepted. Despite the improvements some nations have made, large variations in pollution levels and environmental standards persist around the world—the United States emits nearly five times more carbon monoxide per capita than the United Kingdom, Germany, or Japan, for instance. In national debates, health system leaders must illustrate the link between environment and health more forcefully. Establish effective and comprehensive immunization programs. Even in some developed countries, immunization programs fall short of reaching 100 percent of the population. In developed countries, the vaccination rates of one-year-olds for measles and hepatitis B, for example, vary from 80 to 99 percent and from 0 to 92 percent, respectively. Even allowing for questions about the efficacy and possible side effects of some vaccines, we believe that immunization rates should be more uniform