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National Health Statistics - Executive Summary
Table of Contents: Age and Gender
| Admissions through the Emergency Department | Most frequent reasons for hospitalization
| Comorbidities | Most expensive and longest hospital stays
| Insurance and hospital stays | Discharges from the hospital
| Selected graphics
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AGE AND GENDER
Nearly 60 percent of hospital stays are for women.
Among individuals 18 to 44 years of age, there are nearly three times as many women in the hospital as men.
People age 65 and older make up about 13 percent of the U.S. population but account for about 36 percent of all hospital stays.
ADMISSIONS THROUGH THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT
Over a third of all hospital admissions are through the Emergency Department.
Five of the top 10 conditions for which people are admitted through the Emergency Department are heart problems, like heart attack.
Two of the top 10 conditions are infections: pneumonia and blood infection (septicemia).
Nearly 55 percent of hospital stays for the very old (80 years and older) start in the Emergency department, compared with 45 percent for younger age groups.
MOST FREQUENT REASONS FOR HOSPITALIZATION
Eleven percent of all hospital stays are for infants born in the hospital.
Depression is one of the top 10 conditions treated in short-term hospitals.
Heart attack, hardening of the arteries, and congestive heart failure are in the top 10 conditions for all age groups 45 and older.
Pneumonia is a top 10 condition for all age groups.
Excluding pregnancy-related conditions, 4 of the top 10 conditions among people ages 18-44 are related to mental illness or substance abuse
Nearly 60 percent of hospital stays are for women. Among individuals 18 to 44 years of age, there are nearly three times as many women in the hospital as men.
People age 65 and older make up about 13 percent of the U.S. population but account for about 36 percent of all hospital stays.
COMORBIDITIES
Comorbidities are coexisting conditions that are not the main reason for the hospital stay.
Comorbidities can make a hospital stay more expensive and complicated.
High blood pressure (hypertension) is the most common comorbidity. Other common comorbidities are lung disease and diabetes.
Over half of all hospitalized patients have at least one comorbidity. About a third of patients have two or more.
Drug abuse, psychoses and depression are present as top 10 comorbidities for adolescents and adults up to age 44.
Alcohol abuse is a top 10 comorbidity for adults ages 18-64.
MOST EXPENSIVE AND LONGEST HOSPITAL STAYS
The average charge for a hospital stay is over $11,000 and the average hospital stay is about 5 days long.
Infant respiratory distress is the most expensive condition treated in the hospital, with an average charge of $68,000.
Four of the top 10 most expensive conditions are related to the care of infants: respiratory distress, prematurity and low birth weight, heart defects, and lack of oxygen (intrauterine hypoxia).
Two of the top 10 most expensive conditions are traumas: spinal cord injury ($53,000) and burns ($34,000).
Even though long lengths of stay can result in high expense, four of the most expensive reasons for hospital stays are NOT among the longest stays: heart valve disorders, cardiac congenital anomalies, aneurysms, and burns.
INSURANCE AND HOSPITAL STAYS
Government (Medicare and Medicaid) is billed for over half (54 percent) of all hospital stays.
About 13 percent of the U.S. population is over 65, but about 35 percent of all hospital stays are paid by
Medicare, the most common insurer for the elderly.
About 17 percent of the U.S. population is uninsured, and about 5 percent of all hospital patients are uninsured.
Among uninsured patients, 3 of the top 10 conditions are for substance abuse or mental health. It is not possible to determine if this is because insurance does not pay for these conditions or if these conditions occur more frequently among uninsured patients.
Nearly 20 percent of hospital stays for alcohol-related mental disorders and 23 percent of stays for substance abuse are uninsured.
Almost 12 percent of the U.S. population is covered by Medicaid; however, Medicaid is billed for:
Over a third of all stays for babies born in the hospital
Over a third of all stays for fetal distress
Nearly 42 percent of all stays for complicated pregnancy
Over a fourth of all stays for depression and half of all stays for schizophrenia.
DISCHARGES FROM THE HOSPI
TAL
Nearly 11 percent of patients discharged from the hospital go to some sort of long-term care: skilled nursing facilities, intermediate care, or nursing homes.
SELECTED GRAPHICS
National Bill
- The national bill for conditions treated in the hospital.
Source of Hospital Admissions
- How people enter a hospital.
Reasons for Hospital Stays
- Why people enter a hospital.
Top 50 Single-Level Diagnoses
- Top 50 single illness diagnoses.
Top 50 Multi-Level Diagnoses
- Top 50 multiple multiple diagnoses.
In-Hospital Mortality
- Cause of hospital deaths.
Accidental Deaths
- A substantial number of hospital deaths are due to medical error.
Medical Mistakes
- Types of medical mistakes.
What You Don't Know
- How some resident physicians respond to errors.
Cause and Effect
- What causes physicians to make medical errors, the survey results.
Elixhauser A, Yu K, Steiner C, Bierman AS. Hospitalization in the United States, 1997. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2000. HCUP Fact Book No. 1; AHRQ Publication No. 00-0031. ISBN 1-58763-005-2
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