Medicare: Hospital Use Rates of Aged Enrollees by Health Service Area, 1974-1977

摘要

This monograph provides hospital use rates for Medicare enrollees age 65 and older by Health Service Area for the years 1974-1977. The study focuses on hospital-based use rates rather than the customary enrollee-based rates and provides a detailed discussion of the method used to compute hospital-based rates. The study also analyzes selected demographic and health resource factors in relation to the variations found in hospital use by Medicare enrollees in Health Service Areas. This report presents the first nationwide data on hospital use rates of Medicare enrollees by health service area. They are derived from records of claims for payment submitted by short-stay hospitals and are maintained in HCFA's central files. Data are provided for each health service area on three measures of hospital use--discharge rate, average length of stay, and days of care rate. The data can provide background information to HSAs for plan formulation and in reviewing requests for expansion of hospital facilities or services.