title: Aggressive utilization review shortens stays, lowers costs.
abstract: Reducing the number of overextended hospital stays no longer presents a problem at Framingham (MA) Union Hospital. Through the use of aggressive techniques designed by its utilization review committee, the hospital consistently has a better average length of stay by diagnosis than its peers in its geographic area. The hospital also has been able to avoid having an adversary relationship with its medical staff and has been successful in increasing patient awareness of the impact of federal regulations and cost constraints on hospitalization.
mesh_terms: D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004469:Economics, Hospital; D006745:Hospital Bed Capacity, 300 to 499; D007902:Length of Stay; D008404:Massachusetts; D010351:Patient Discharge; D014600:Utilization Review / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*