Table 2.
Trends in Nonelderly Hospital Volume and Intensity, and Capacity in Markets with Low, Medium, and High Rates of Growth in Medicare Prices
| Markets Grouped Based on Formula-Driven Change in Medicare Price (1995–2009) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Markets | Low | Medium | High | |
| Volume and intensity of inpatient hospital care provided to the nonelderly | ||||
| Discharges per 1,000, 1995 | 91 | 108 | 83*** | 88*** |
| Annual growth, 1995–2009 (%) | −0.04 | −0.34 | −0.13 | 0.30*** |
| Days per 1,000, 1995 | 410 | 604 | 330*** | 364*** |
| Annual growth, 1995–2009 (%) | −0.32 | −1.42 | 0.18*** | 0.32*** |
| Mean length of stay, 1995 | 4.3 | 5.5 | 3.9*** | 4.0*** |
| Annual growth, 1995–2009 (%) | −0.14 | −1.03 | 0.41*** | 0.03*** |
| Mean case mix, 1995 | 0.84 | 0.85 | 0.83 | 0.85 |
| Annual growth, 1995–2009 (%) | 1.33 | 1.37 | 1.35 | 1.27 |
| Over-65 share of inpatient volume | ||||
| Discharges | ||||
| 1995 (%) | 31.4 | 30.7 | 27.8* | 35.8*** |
| Difference, 1995–2009 (percentage points) | 0.8 | 2.6 | 1.2** | −0.8*** |
| Days | ||||
| 1995 (%) | 41.4 | 44.1 | 35.2*** | 46.5 |
| Difference, 1995–2009 (percentage points) | −4.3 | −4.4 | −2.9 | −5.7 |
| Hospital bed-days available per 1,000, 1995 | 1,129 | 1,385 | 976*** | 1,122*** |
| Annual growth, 1995–2008 (%) | −1.83 | −2.53 | −1.48* | −1.47** |
| Occupancy | ||||
| 1995 (%) | 65.0 | 75.4 | 61.7*** | 61.2*** |
| Difference, 1995–2008 (percentage points) | 5.0 | 2.5 | 9.1*** | 2.3* |
Note. Markets are metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in 10 states (AZ, CA, CO, FL, IA, MA, NJ, NY, WA, WI). Hospital bed-days were not available for 2009.
*p < .10, **p < .05, ***p < .01.
Source: Author’s calculations using Medicare hospital cost reports and the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases (HCUP-SID).