Hospital cost containment in the 1980s: hard lessons learned and prospects for the 1990s

Article Abstract:

During the 1980s attempts were made to reduce the rising costs of hospital care by reducing the total number of people admitted to the hospital and reducing the length of stay for those who were hospitalized (inpatient days). To determine the effectiveness of this initiative, a retrospective study was performed to determine the amount of money saved, the rate of increase in costs, and future savings that may be obtained by reducing inpatient days. Between 1981 and 1988 the total number of inpatient days decreased by 28 percent, with the greatest reductions occurring during 1984 and 1985. However, the rate of reduction in the number of inpatient days slowly declined during subsequent years until 1988, when no further reductions were observed. For a brief period during the mid-1980s the rate of increase of hospital costs was reduced. This effect could be entirely accounted for by the reduction in the number of inpatient days, indicating that attempts to contain spending had no effect on the rate of increase in costs. The dollars saved by reducing the number of inpatient days were offset by the increase in the number of outpatient visits. From 1976 to 1988 the annual increase in Medicare spending for hospital services declined from 9 percent to less than 1 percent, while spending by non-Medicare sources increased from 5 percent to 9 percent per year. It is concluded that in the future reducing the number of inpatient days will not reduce the increasing costs of hospital care, and that a larger portion of the costs will be paid by non-Medicare sources. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Analysis, Prices and rates, Medical care, Cost of, Health care costs, Hospitals, Hospital utilization, Hospital stays, Cost control, Hospital rates

---

Physician need: an alternative projection from a study of large, prepaid group practices

Article Abstract:

If health maintenance organizations (HMOs) are going to continue to offer services to members, more physicians will be needed than the Graduate Medical Education Advisory Committee predicts will be available. The study estimates a base-level demand of 111 physicians per 100,000 clients. The study was conducted by surveying the medical director of seven larger HMOs to determine the group's number of full-time physicians by specalty and members served. The disciplines with the largest deficit between need and availability include psychiatry, emergency medicine and anesthesiology.

Planning, Forecasts and trends, Supply and demand, Physicians, Medical professions, Surveys, Health maintenance organizations, Graduate Medical Education National Advisory Committee, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc.

---

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Social environment and height: England and Scotland 1987 and 1988. Need for new reference curves for height
• Abstracts: Cystic fibrosis gene mutation in two sisters with mild disease and normal sweat electrolyte levels. Mutation analysis for heterozygote detection and the prenatal diagnosis of cystic fibrosis
• Abstracts: Medical student abuse; incidence, severity, and significance. A pilot study of medical student 'abuse': student perceptions of mistreatment and misconduct in medical school.'

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.