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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*), as well as other AHA sponsored studies.
Featured Reports |
One in four Americans experiences a mental illness or substance abuse disorder each year, and the majority also has a comorbid physical health condition. In 2009, more than 2 million discharges from community hospitals were for a primary diagnosis of mental illness or substance abuse disorder. The range of effective treatment options for behavioral health disorders - which encompass both mental illness and substance abuse disorders - is expanding. Research indicates that better integration of behavioral health care services into the broader health care continuum can have a positive impact on quality, costs and outcomes. Health reform creates new impetus and opportunity for better managing the care delivered to individuals with behavioral health conditions. Expansion of health insurance generally, along with improved coverage of behavioral health treatment under parity laws, will broaden access to needed services. At the same time, increased provider accountability will spur efforts to coordinate care across currently fragmented settings to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of care delivered to individuals with behavioral health conditions. Many providers already are working with private payers to meet these same goals. Initiatives span value-based purchasing, accountable care organizations, patient-centered medical homes, and efforts to reduce readmissions. These initiatives will have important implications for the delivery of behavioral health care. And as the demand for behavioral health services is likely to continue to outstrip capacity, improving care integration can help to better manage this need.
As providers take on shared accountability for health care across the continuum, they should not overlook patients' behavioral health care needs. Health care organizations and providers that can effectively integrate care across treatment settings as well as between the behavioral and physical health care systems should realize gains in quality and outcomes, and reduced treatment costs.
278,000 Jobs at Risk: The Negative Economic Impact of the Budget Control Act of 2011 and H.R. 3630. January 2012, A Report by Tripp Umbach
The health care sector represents nearly 18 percent of the United States economy and, currently, one of the few bright spots in terms of job growth. Hospitals employ more than 5.4 million people, adding 89,000 jobs just in 2011. As hospitals and hospital workers buy goods and services from other businesses, they create additional jobs and economic impact throughout the community.
As lawmakers look at ways to reduce the deficit and fund other priorities, cuts to Medicare and Medicaid are often discussed, but rarely with consideration for the broader impact that these cuts could have on the larger economy and the jobs situation in particular. To fill this gap, Tripp Umbach developed a calculator for the American Hospital Association that estimates the potential number of direct and indirect jobs lost given a set level of cuts to Medicare and Medicaid payments to hospitals.
Examining the Drivers of Readmissions and Reducing Unnecessary Readmissions for Better Patient Care, TrendWatch, September 2011
Nearly one-fifth of Medicare beneficiaries-roughly 2 million beneficiaries per year-discharged from a hospital return within 30 days, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. Some of the readmissions are planned, some are unplanned and others are unrelated to the initial reason the patient came to the hospital. Identifying and reducing avoidable hospital readmissions will improve patient safety, enhance quality of care, and lower health care spending. However, not all readmissions can or should be avoided. This TrendWatch examines recent research on hospital readmissions, including the linkages between readmissions and quality of care, and the various circumstances that may drive readmissions. It also discusses the changes put in place by the Accountable Care Act and highlights the considerations and additional research that are warranted as policymakers implement new programs aimed at reducing hospital readmissions while avoiding unintended consequences for patient care.
AHA Survey on Drug Shortages, July 2011
With drug shortages becoming increasingly frequent, the American Hospital Association (AHA) surveyed its members to find out how the shortages have impacted day-to-day patient care. The AHA survey of 820 hospitals revealed that almost 100 percent of hospitals reported a shortage in the last six months and nearly half of the hospitals reported 21 or more drug shortages.
The Economic Contribution of Hospitals, June 2011
In 2009, America's hospitals treated 127 million people in their emergency departments, provided care for 515 million other 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. The health care sector is an economic mainstay, providing stability and even growth during times of recession. Health care has added an average of 24,000 jobs per month over the prior 12 months. Hospital care is an important component of the health care sector. Hospitals employ more than 5.4 million people and create over 2.2 trillion dollars of economic activity.
*Avalere Health provides objective analysis to support AHA policy development. As a research and consultingorganization, Avalere does not advocate for or endorse positions on specific policy issues.
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