A recent report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) reports that do to poor primary care Americans faced as many as 4.4 million preventable hospitalizations totaling nearly 29 billion dollars in 2004.
Report highlights:
- In 2004, hospital costs for potentially preventable conditions accounted for almost one out of every 10 dollars of total hospital expenditures.
- From 1997 to 2004, total hospital costs for potentially preventable admissions increased by 31 percent (adjusted for inflation), while the number of admissions rose by only 3 percent.
- The admission rate for hypertension increased by 20 percent; however, the total hospital costs for this condition rose by almost 90 percent.
- Total hospital costs for short-term diabetes complications and urinary tract infections in adults rose by more than 50 percent.
The complete report is available from the AHRQ at http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb36.pdf
Ruthann Russo, PhD, JD, MPH, RHIT, is a healthcare expert with more than 20 years of experience working in and advising healthcare organizations.
