Euro health consumer index
Euro Health Consumer Index (EHCI) is a comparison of European health care systems based on waiting times, results, and generosity. The information is presented as a graphic index. EHCI was produced 2005–2009 and 2012-2015 by Health Consumer Powerhouse. The 2014 ranking included 37 countries measured by 48 indicators. It claims to measure the “consumer friendliness” of healthcare systems. It does not claim to measure which European state has the best healthcare system, but it does produce specialist Indexes on Diabetes, Cardiac Care, HIV, Headache and Hepatitis.[1]
In 2006 France was the champion with 768 points out of 1000. In the 2015 results the same performance would have given the 13th position among 35 countries because of the widespread improvements in standards.[2]
The index was criticised in the British Medical Journal by Martin McKee and others from the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies in February 2016. Points they made included:
- The index is constructed by scoring performance as good, intermediary or not-so-good, based on arbitrary cut-off points.
- There is no logic in how many points are allocated to each indicator. 225 points are allocated to accessibility, but only 250 to health outcomes.
- The indicators are a mix of trends over time and cross-sectional rankings.[3]
| Country | Overall ranking | Patient rights and information ranking | Accessibility (waiting times for treatment) ranking | Outcomes ranking | Range and reach of services provided | Prevention | Pharmaceuticals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Netherlands | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 1 |
 Switzerland | 2 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 6 | 9 |
 Norway | 3 | 22 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
 Finland | 4 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
 Denmark | 5 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 13 | 9 |
.svg.png){kind=small} Belgium | 6 | 22 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 19 | 9 |
 Iceland | 7 | 4 | 14 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 21 |
 Luxemburg | 8 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 16 |
 Germany | 9 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 21 | 6 | 1 |
 Austria | 10 | 9 | 4 | 16 | 11 | 19 | 9 |
 France | 11 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 14 | 13 | 13 |
 Sweden | 12 | 12 | 35 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
 Portugal | 13 | 6 | 14 | 14 | 21 | 19 | 19 |
 England | 14 | 8 | 30 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
 Czech Republic | 15 | 22 | 10 | 16 | 11 | 26 | 13 |
 Scotland | 16 | 17 | 25 | 16 | 9 | 13 | 1 |
 Macedonia | 17 | 4 | 3 | 33 | 21 | 6 | 21 |
 Estonia | 18 | 10 | 19 | 16 | 11 | 36 | 21 |
 Spain | 19 | 24 | 30 | 14 | 14 | 1 | 16 |
 Slovenia | 20 | 24 | 27 | 9 | 18 | 13 | 16 |
 Slovakia | 21 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 24 | 19 | 13 |
 Italy | 22 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 6 | 21 |
 Ireland | 23 | 30 | 35 | 9 | 19 | 13 | 1 |
 Croatia | 24 | 19 | 14 | 23 | 19 | 34 | 21 |
 Cyprus | 25 | 30 | 19 | 16 | 30 | 26 | 19 |
 Hungary | 26 | 24 | 14 | 30 | 24 | 19 | 21 |
 Latvia | 27 | 15 | 19 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 28 |
 Malta | 28 | 29 | 25 | 30 | 14 | 6 | 33 |
 Greece | 29 | 36 | 22 | 23 | 31 | 19 | 21 |
 Bulgaria | 30 | 34 | 14 | 26 | 35 | 26 | 28 |
 Albania | 31 | 28 | 4 | 33 | 37 | 32 | 36 |
 Poland | 32 | 24 | 30 | 33 | 24 | 26 | 28 |
 Lithuania | 33 | 19 | 30 | 26 | 28 | 37 | 28 |
 Serbia | 34 | 30 | 27 | 36 | 31 | 25 | 33 |
 Montenegro | 35 | 35 | 27 | 26 | 35 | 32 | 36 |
 Romania | 36 | 30 | 30 | 36 | 34 | 26 | 28 |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina | 37 | 37 | 37 | 30 | 31 | 34 | 33 |
References
- ↑ "Outcomes in EHCI 2015" (PDF). Health Consumer Powerhouse. 26 January 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
- ↑ "EHCI: European healthcare steadily improving". News Medical.net. 28 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- ↑ Cylus, Jonathan; Nolte, Ellen; Figueras, Josep; McKee, Martin (9 February 2016). "What, if anything, does the EuroHealth Consumer Index actually tell us?". BMJ. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
- ↑ "Euro Health Consumer Index 2014". Health Consumer Powerhouse. Retrieved 31 January 2015.