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Ohio’s hospitals helped new moms welcome 156,952 babies in 2006, making childbirth the number one reason Ohioans were admitted to the hospital.2 Babies were born via natural childbirth and cesarean section, and they and their mothers relied on hospitals for services ranging from prenatal classes to medical care and support during delivery to follow-up care. Heart-related conditions, joint problems, pneumonia and rehabilitation needs also brought a large number of Ohioans to the hospital for an inpatient stay. These five conditions topped the list among patients who were directly admitted to hospitals in 2006. For many other patients, an overnight stay at the hospital began with a trip to the emergency room. A large number of these patients also suffered from heart-related symptoms or issues such as chest pain, heart failure and other heart diseases, making this the number one reason emergency department (ED) patients were admitted in 2006. But among the 45% of patients who are admitted through the ED, pneumonia and chronic bronchitis were also major reasons for longer hospital stays. These conditions point to an aging demographic, with more than 42 percent of patients admitted through the ED at age 66 or older and nearly 78 percent at age 41 or older. Hospitals are beginning to see the impact of the aging baby boomer generation as well as the growing obesity epidemic as the number of patients admitted for heart problems, joint issues and chronic disease grows. The number of patients admitted through the ED with chest pain increased 18 percent between 2004 and 2006. It surpassed pneumonia as the top reason for admission for the first time in 2006. The number of patients admitted directly to the hospital for degenerative joint disease jumped 26 percent in the same timeframe. Seeing the dangerous direction these conditions are moving, hospitals work with their own employees and in their communities to promote wellness and prevention. The Ohio Hospital Association’s Foundation for Healthy Communities is currently reviewing proposals from 23 hospitals for programs focused on reducing obesity in specific at-risk groups in the community. The foundation will award $100,000 to four to six projects in June. Hospitals also host health fairs, offer free screenings and challenge their employees to serve as role models for healthy lifestyles. Efforts to reduce obesity and chronic disease will keep more Ohioans healthy, but hospitals still must prepare for the health care needs of an aging population. Because many Ohioans rely on the Medicaid and Medicare programs, adequate government reimbursement for the care hospitals provide to these beneficiaries is crucial for hospitals’ financial stability. At the state level, reimbursement to hospitals for care provided to Medicaid patients has been frozen since 2005 (and in 2005, reimbursement already fell $321 million short). In addition, the Bush administration is seeking to implement a proposed Medicaid regulation that would cut $5 billion in funding to safety net hospitals. A moratorium enacted by Congress last year to prevent the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services from issuing the final rule is set to expire May 25 without intervention from Congress or the courts. A coalition led by the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems, the American Hospital Association and the Association of American Medical College, and supported by the National Association of Children’s Hospitals, has asked a federal court to stop the cut. With a secure bottom line, hospitals can keep their focus where it’s most needed – on caring for new moms, mending the hearts of older Ohioans and preparing for tomorrow’s health care challenges. Top reasons patients are admitted to Ohio’s hospitals (NOT through an ED)
Top reasons patients are admitted to Ohio’s hospitals (through an ED)
1AHA
Hospital Statistics 2008 Edition, 2006 data |
