Research and Trends

Making Our Case

AHA studies support the advocacy efforts of the association and its member hospitals as they work to provide health care services to communities around the country. This section of the AHA website will provide you with the latest research and analysis of important and emerging trends in the hospital and health care field.  AHA sponsors or conducts policy research in the areas of provider payment, limited-service hospitals, the cost of health care, information technology and other topics to assist members and policy makers in understanding issues critical to America’s hospitals.

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 is compiled and made available through our TrendWatch Chartbook.  Other reports and surveys of hospital leaders are released throughout the year and provide a snapshot of issues like the workforce shortage, ED diversion, health care costs, disaster preparedness and other topics of interest to hospital members, policy makers and the media.

AHA Policy Research

AHA research reports examine key issues to inform the policy making process.  These include the TrendWatch series, a periodic AHA publication that reports on the latest trends affecting hospitals and the health care system (now conducted in collaboration with Avalere Health* www.avalerehealth.net), as well as other AHA sponsored studies. 
 

Featured Reports

Even as Reform Takes Center Stage, Economic Challenges Remain (pdf), November 2009 

Hospitals report that the economic downturn is having a continuing impact.  Hospitals are seeing a greater proportion of patients without insurance coming through their emergency departments and more than half have reduced staff, according to an August/September 2009 survey of hospitals.  The majority of hospitals reported that fewer patients are seeking inpatient and elective services, while the proportion covered by Medicaid and other public programs for those in need is increasing.  The AHA Annual Survey found that financial performance for 2008 was down significantly relative to 2007.  While the more recent survey results indicate some improvement, challenges clearly remain.

Full Survey Results (pdf)

Chartpack (ppt)

Geographic Variation in Health Care Spending: A Closer Look (pdf), TrendWatch, November 2009

Researchers have long documented variation in health care spending.  Variation occurs across geographic regions and among providers within a geographic area.  Focus on geographic variation has intensified as policymakers struggle to identify strategies to contain costs.  This TrendWatch examines the many factors that drive variation including payment factors, demographics, health status and market factors.

 Teaching Hospitals: Their Impact on Patients and the Future Health Care Workforce (pdf), TrendWatch, September 2009

Teaching hospitals train future health care professionals, conduct medical research and fulfill a distinct and vital role in delivering patient care.  Preserving these roles in a reformed health care system is critical especially as the U.S. faces a future shortage of physicians and other caregivers.

Chartpack (ppt)

AHA Report Submitted to the Department of Justice on Health Plan Consolidation (pdf), May 2009 

The Case for Reinvigorating Antitrust Enforcement for Health Plan Mergers and Anticompetitive Conduct to Protect Consumers and Providers and Support Meaningful Reform

The Economic Crisis: The Toll on the Patients and Communities Hospitals Serve (pdf), April 2009

Six out of ten hospitals nationally are seeing a greater proportion of patients without insurance coming through their emergency departments and nearly half have reduced staff according to a March 2009 survey of hospitals.  The majority of hospitals reported that fewer patients are seeking inpatient and elective services, while the proportion covered by Medicaid and other public programs for those in need is increasing.  The financial health of hospitals is declining with over 40 percent expecting losses in the first quarter of 2009. 

Chartpack (ppt)

Press Release

 The Impact of the Economic Crisis on Health Services for
Patients and Communities (pdf), March 2009

For most Americans, today’s economic woes are like none they have experienced.  Fourth quarter 2008 information from DATABANK indicates that the same is true for the nation’s hospitals.  Fewer patients are seeking inpatient, surgical and emergency hospital care and more patients are unable to pay for the care they do receive.  Hospitals are being challenged in their mission of meeting the health needs of their communities with over half of hospitals experiencing negative total margins.

Report on the Capital Crisis: Impact on Hospitals (pdf), January 2009

More and more, hospitals are stopping or postponing "shovel-ready projects" that would not only improve community health care, but also increase jobs and support the local economy, according to a new survey from the American Hospital Association.  The survey showed that hospitals' ability to obtain the necessary funds to upgrade their facilities or invest in new clinical and information technologies is severely restricted due to the "capital crunch" and the recession. 

PowerPoint version of the report (ppt)
Press Release

The Economic Downturn and Its Impact on Hospitals (pdf), TrendWatch, January 2009

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the U.S. economy has been in recession since December 2007, and many fear the worst may be yet to come. In December 2008, 524,000 jobs were lost,2 sending the jobless rate to 7.2 percent,3 which marks a 16-year high. 1.9 million jobs have been lost in this country since September alone. This sharp rise in unemployment has been accompanied by losses of employer-sponsored health insurance.

Chartpack (ppt)

Beyond Health Care: The Economic Contribution of Hospitals (pdf), January 2009 Update

In 2007, America’s hospitals treated 121 million people in their emergency departments, provided care for 603 million outpatients, performed 27 million surgeries, and delivered 4 million babies. Every year, hospitals provide vital health care services like these to millions of people in thousands of communities. However, the importance of hospitals to their communities extends far beyond health care.

Hospital & Physician Cost Shift: Payment Level Comparison of Medicare, Medicare, Medicaid, and Commercial Payers (pdf), December 2008

Low Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals and physicians lead to significantly higher health insurance costs for consumers and employers, according to a study released by Milliman Inc.  The report found that annual health care spending for an average family of four is $1,788 higher than it would be if Medicare, Medicaid and private employers paid hospitals and physicians similar rates, with total provider reimbursement unchanged. 

Press Release (pdf)
Chartpack (ppt)
Supporting Statement by U.S. Chamber of Commerce (pdf)

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

*Avalere Health provides objective analysis to support AHA policy development. As a research and consulting organization, Avalere does not advocate for or endorse positions on specific policy issues.