Nov. 9, 2011 -- We not only pay a lot more for health care in the U.S. than in other countries, but a new study suggests the care we get is often slower and more poorly coordinated.

That's because other industrialized countries do a better job of giving patients easy access to primary care and to "medical homes" responsible for guiding care and complex treatment, according to a study published today by the Commonwealth Fund.

A medical home is a regular place of care where health care providers are accessible, know the patients' medical history, and help to coordinate care.

The study credits medical homes with lower rates of medical errors, poor information, coordination gaps, and emergency room visits.

For example, 42% of ill American patients reported duplicate tests, gaps in care, or other problems during the last year. That was about double the rate than in the U.K. and Switzerland, where medical homes are in wider use.

"For sicker patients and patients having chronic disease, having a medical home makes a difference. It makes a difference in every country," says Cathy Schoen, MS, senior vice president at the Commonwealth Fund.