2008

Health and Hospital Trends

Every year AHA releases a series of reports that provide up to date information on both health and hospital trends.  Data from various sources including the AHA Annual Survey are compiled and made available trough our TrendWatch Chartbook.  Other reports and surveys of hospital leaders are conducted throughout the year and provide a snapshot of issues like the workforce shortage, hospital finances, ED diversion, health care costs, disaster preparedness and other topics of interest to policy makers and the media.

Report on the Economic Crisis: Initial Impact on Hospitals (pdf), November 2008

With our nation's economic troubles, fewer patients are seeking hospital care while at the same time a growing proportion of patients need help paying for care, according to the study, Report on the Economic Crisis: Initial Impact on Hospitals. This report is based on survey results from 736 hospitals and information from DATABANK, a web-based reporting system used in 30 states to track key hospital trends.

Chartpack (ppt)
Full Survey Results (pdf)
Press Release (pdf)

Uncompensated Hospital Care Cost Fact Sheet (pdf), November 2008
Each year, the American Hospital Association (AHA) publishes aggregate information on the level of uncompensated care delivered in U.S. hospitals. The data used to generate these numbers come from the AHA’s Annual Survey of Hospitals, which is the nation’s single most comprehensive source of hospital financial data. This fact sheet provides the definition of uncompensated care and technical information on how this figure is calculated on a cost basis. It also describes how the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) accounting changes to bad debt and free care are currently handled in the Survey to ensure continuity of uncompensated care numbers.

Underpayment by Medicare and Medicaid Fact Sheet (pdf), November 2008
Each year, the American Hospital Association (AHA) collects aggregate information on the payments and costs associated with care delivered to beneficiaries of Medicare and Medicaid by U.S. hospitals. The data used to generate these numbers comes from the AHA’s Annual Survey of Hospitals, which is the nation’s single most comprehensive source of hospital financial data. This fact sheet provides the definition of underpayment and technical information on how this figure is calculated on a cost basis for Medicare and Medicaid.

Redundant, Inconsistent and Excessive: Administrative Demands Overburden Hospitals (pdf), TrendWatch, August 2008
Hospital managers strive to run high-performance health care organizations that deliver the best quality care to their patients. Beyond the mission of providing quality care, hospitals also must comply with government regulators’, payers’ and other stakeholders’ ever-growing administrative requirements. Such activities are increasingly diverting precious resources away from patient care and contributing to making health care less affordable.

Chartpack (ppt)

The Costs of Caring: Sources of Growth in Spending for Hospital Care (pdf), August 2008 Update
Much of the increase in spending on hospital care reflects advances in medicine that ultimately result in improved outcomes, longer life expectancy, and a better quality of life. However, alternative measures of what we are getting for our health care dollar could help us develop better tools to contain spending growth.

Chartpack (ppt), August 2008 Update 

Beyond Health Care: The Economic Contribution of Hospitals (pdf), TrendWatch, April 2008 Update
Hospitals play a critical role in the health of Americans, but few people are aware of the economic and community benefits hospitals provide.  Hospitals employ more than 5 million people and represent the second largest source of private sector jobs.  But the impact of hospitals doesn’t stop there.  Hospitals and hospital employees purchase goods and services from other businesses creating additional jobs and economic activity.  Hospitals also provide an array of special programs to help communities meet broader health and social needs.

The Economic Contribution of Hospitals (pdf), August 2008 Abbreviated
Chartpack (ppt)
Press Release

Physician Ownership and Self-referral in Hospitals: Research on Negative Effects Grows (pdf), TrendWatch, April 2008
This TrendWatch provides a compilation of the growing body of research on physician ownership and self-referral in the hospital setting.  Issues addressed include:  growth trends, impact on utilization and costs, quality and efficiency, and the effect of the patient selection practices of these facilities on patient access to care and the ability of community hospitals to maintain their mission. 

Chartpack (ppt)