Lack of Coordination
The existing multi-payer framework is inefficient, confusing, and lacks coordination. Though this seems similar to the previous point regarding paperwork, this point is separate and important since the lack of coordination often results in wasteful spending (often a result of identical procedures being conducted on patients as they change physicians).
The Institute of Medicine identified coordination as one of the most critical problems plaguing the US healthcare system, while another study found that physicians cited coordination issues as the most common impediment to quality10. Much of the coordination issues have to do with the extremely complex nature of the US health care system relative to other systems (see below for a schematic of the US and Canadian health care systems):
Electronic medical records are another method that could help alleviate many of the issues with coordination. Even though electronic record keeping has been successfully implemented in several European countries, many Americans are opposed to this system due to concerns over privacy.
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10 Lack of Coordination Hampers US health system. http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20090820/REG/908209998- Accessed Sept. 4th, 2009