An unexpected change in the trend of decreasing admissions, the higher patient numbers may be attributed to such factors as the aging of baby boomers, the growing number of uninsured patients and the adoption of new services by many Ohio hospitals.

As the 77 million baby boomers age, they are beginning to require more health care. In addition, Americans are living longer. The Health Resources and Services Administration predicts that the proportion of Ohioans over age 65 will increase 34 percent by 2020.

Ohio’s overall population growth and an increase in births may also be contributing to increased hospital admissions. Ohio’s population increased by more than half a million in the 1990s. The number of births rose nearly one and a half percent from 1999 to 2000.

The number of Ohio citizens without health insurance also continues to rise, bringing additional patients to emergency rooms and increasing admissions. Stricter enforcement of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, a 1986 federal law requiring that all Medicare hospitals stabilize and treat patients regardless of their ability to pay, may also be causing a higher percentage of admissions among the uninsured. Without the aid of insurance, these patients often delay care until their conditions worsen and emergency rooms need to admit them.

Though admissions are up, improved medical technology has reduced the average hospital stay from nearly seven days in 1990 to approximately five days in 2000. Technological advances enable hospitals to treat patients more quickly and effectively. Outpatient treatment also continues to increase as a result of better technology. The number of outpatient visits jumped from 17 million in 1990 to nearly 27 million in 2000, an increase of 59 percent.

One challenge posed by the increase in admissions is that it coincides with a reduction trend in hospitals’ number of beds. Though the number of personnel increased by 12 percent throughout the past decade, many facilities decreased their number of beds as growing technology allowed more patients to receive care without being admitted. Between 1990 and 2000, the number of beds in Ohio hospitals dropped by 22 percent.

A current health care worker shortage further complicates Ohio hospitals’ efforts to serve the growing number of patients. Ohio currently has a shortage of nurses, pharmacists and radiological and laboratory technologists. Though Ohio’s 13 percent nurse vacancy rate is slightly higher than the national figure of 11 percent, Ohio’s shortages in the remaining areas are significantly less than the national averages. Ohio reports that 12 percent of its pharmaceutical positions are open, compared to 21 percent nationally; 13 percent of radiological positions versus 18 percent nationally; and six percent of laboratory technicians next to 12 percent nationally.

In light of increasing admissions, hospitals continue to balance technological advances with increased patient demand and the workforce shortage in their missions to provide excellent health care to all patients.