The U.S. health care system has huge quality gaps that contribute to 42,000 to 79,000 avoidable deaths every year, according to a recent survey released by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

“State of Health Care Quality 2004,” released on Sept. 23, found that the quality of care delivered by health plans improved markedly from last year. But it also indicates that, because those improvements were applied to only one-quarter of the system, health care is deeply polarized and delivers excellent care to some people and generally poor care to others.

“The data we have tell a great story—health care quality for some is improving consistently and dramatically,” says Margaret E. O’Kane, NCQA president. “But we have only data for accountable health plans. Why don’t we have performance data for the other 75 percent of the U.S. health care system? All types of health plans, hospitals and doctors should report on their performance. How else can we made informed choices?”

This year’s report also highlights various efforts aimed at improving health care quality, including several physician and hospital pay-for-performance projects, which are seen by many experts as a key part of the solution to the country’s health care problems.

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