AHRQ Statistics: Hospital Stays Billing

In 2011, 60 percent of hospital stays were billed to Medicare and Medicaid—up from 52 percent in 1997. Between 1997 and 2011, the share of stays billed to private insurance fell from 39 percent to 32 percent. (Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Statistical Brief No.166: Overview of Hospital Stays in the United States, 2011.

Go to: http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb166.jsp

Highlights

There were 38.6 million hospital stays in 2011, which is an 11 percent increase since 1997; however, the population also grew during this period, so the hospitalization rate remained stable at about 1,200 stays per 10,000 population.

Aggregate hospital costs were $387.3 billion in 2011—a 63 percent increase since 1997 (inflation adjusted). Costs per stay increased 47 percent since 1997, averaging $10,000 in 2011.

In 2011, 60 percent of stays were billed to Medicare and Medicaid—up from 52 percent in 1997. Between 1997 and 2011, the share of stays billed to private insurance fell from 39 percent to 32 percent.

Patients from the lowest income area had a higher hospitalization rate (1,401 stays per 10,000 population) than patients from all other income areas (1,155 stays per 10,000 population).

The hospitalization rate was similar for patients living in the Northeast, Midwest, and South (about 1,300 stays per 10,000 population). Patients living in the West had the lowest hospitalization rate, at 1,029 stays per 10,000 population.

The total number of stays discharged against medical advice increased 41 percent between 1997 and 2011. The share of discharges against medical advice by adults aged 45-64 years increased from 27 percent in 1997 to 41 percent in 2011. From 1997 to 2011, the share of discharges against medical advice increased from 25 percent to 29 percent for Medicare and decreased from 21 percent to 16 percent for private insurance.

The uninsured accounted for 7 percent of stays for patients from the lowest income communities and 5 percent of stays for patients from all other communities.