The central theme for our work on health policy is performance measurement and performance improvement in OECD health systems. Many OECD countries have now developed national performance frameworks and have implemented reforms aimed at improving the performance of their health systems. In addition, there is growing interest in international benchmarking of performance.

Various projects have been completed to investigate variations in health system performance across the OECD and explore the causes of these variations. These have included work on waiting times for non-emergency surgery; work on the microefficiency of utilisation of medical resources; and work on evaluating alternative mixes of private & public health insurance.

The Health Division also carries out work on health and ageing. As populations age, an increasing number of citizens need long-term ameliorative care. We have studied the organisation and financing of long-term care services for older persons, in conjunction with pension and health care arrangements. And we have looked at how to provide older and disabled persons with a continuum of care.

Pharmaceutical policy is also a key topic for OECD work on health policy. The OECD has studied the pharmaceutical sector form the standpoint of the multiple social and economic goals that policy makers must address. We are now conducting further international comparative studies to assess the benefits and costs of pharmaceuticals.

More