better data on health care outcomes at the system level are being developed by the oecd in particular on amenable mortality and health care quality box because their coverage is still limited these data cannot replace health status indicators when assessing health care efficiency but they can complement them first panel data regressions have been run to shed light on the contribution of health care and other determinants to the health status of the population joumard et al this empirical work suggested that changes in health care spending lifestyle factors smoking and alcohol consumption as well as diet education pollution and income have been important factors behind improvements in health status