Cost and Utilization: Hospitalized Patients on a Family Medicine Service. South Med J 2015 Jun;108(6):364-9
Date
06/17/2015Pubmed ID
26079463DOI
10.14423/SMJ.0000000000000293Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84930976648 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The cost of hospitalizations contributes to the rising expense of medical care in the United States. Providing health insurance to uninsured Americans is a strategy to reduce these costs, but only if costs for uninsured patients are disproportionately high. This study examined hospitalization use patterns for uninsured patients compared with those with Medicaid and commercial insurance.
METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review to analyze inpatient admissions to a family medicine teaching service in a 290-bed, for-profit community hospital during a 2-year period based on insurance status of the patient. Outcome variables investigated were length of stay, emergency department visits, and readmission rates to the hospital and/or emergency department. Secondary outcome variables were mean charges.
RESULTS: A total of 1102 admissions to a family medicine teaching service were evaluated. Length of stay, readmission rates to the hospital and the emergency department after hospital discharge, and average length of stay compared with diagnosis-related groups were significantly higher in the Medicaid population than for insured and uninsured individuals. Variable costs also were significantly higher.
CONCLUSIONS: Insurance status was found to be a significant factor in hospital charges and utilization data, with Medicaid patients having the highest costs. This suggests that moving uninsured patients to Medicaid may not significantly reduce hospitalization costs.
Author List
Porter M, Diaz VA, Gavin JK, Zacarias A, Dickerson L, Hueston WJ, Carek PJMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AgedCosts and Cost Analysis
Family Practice
Female
Hospitalization
Humans
Length of Stay
Logistic Models
Male
Medicaid
Medically Uninsured
Middle Aged
United States