Comparing the health care system in the United States with the systems of other industrialized countries reveals striking differences in spending, availability and use of services, and health outcomes. This project will produce the 12th paper in a series of annual analyses of key health data for the 30 member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The authors will update overall trends in health systems' performance, with an emphasis on measures of efficiency. The findings will be presented at the Fund's 2009 International Symposium on Health Care Policy and submitted to the journal Health Affairs. In addition, the Fund's online chartpack illustrating core OECD data will be updated as a resource for journalists, policymakers, and researchers.