AHRQ Stats: Hospital Care for Chronic Conditions

The percent of hospitalizations with multiple chronic conditions increased most rapidly (53 percent) among 18- to 44-year-olds, from 29.6 percent in 2003 to a projected 45.4 percent in 2014. (Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Statistical Brief #183: Trends and Projections in Hospital Stays for Adults With Multiple Chronic Conditions, 2003-2014.)

Trends and Projections in Hospital Stays for Adults With Multiple Chronic Conditions, 2003-2014

Claudia A. Steiner, M.D., M.P.H., Marguerite L. Barrett, M.S., Audrey J. Weiss, Ph.D., and Roxanne M. Andrews, Ph.D.

Highlights

Between 2003 and 2014, nonmaternal hospital stays among adults were two to three times more likely to involve multiple chronic conditions (MCC) than no MCC.

The percentage of stays for adults with MCC increased from 63.5 percent in 2003 to a projected 78.1 percent in 2014, whereas adults without MCC decreased from 36.5 percent in 2003 to a projected 22.0 percent in 2014.

The percentage of hospital stays for adults with MCC increased with patient age; the percentage was lowest among patients aged 18-44 years and highest among patients aged 65 years and older. However, the percentage of stays for adults with MCC increased most rapidly for those aged 18-44 years.

Hospital stays for adults with MCC cost nearly 20 percent more on average than stays for adults without MCC. Average inflation-adjusted hospital costs for stays of adults with MCC increased from $12,000 in 2003 to a projected $14,500 in 2014, compared with an increase from $9,800 to $12,200 over this time period for stays without MCC.

The average cost of stays for adults with MCC was about 20 to 25 percent higher among patients aged 45 years and older than among those aged 18-44 years.