AHRQ Stats: Potentially Preventable Hospital Stays for Adults

As many as 3.5 million hospital stays among adults in 2017 were considered potentially preventable, costing nearly $34 billion. The preventable stays represented nearly 13 percent of all hospital stays (excluding obstetrics) and almost 9 percent of all costs. (Source: AHRQ, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Statistical Brief #259, Characteristics and Costs of Potentially Preventable Inpatient Stays, 2017.)