title: Utilization of inpatient services under shortened lengths of stay: a neonatal care example.
abstract: In the last several years many hospitals have experienced a significant reduction in average length of stay (LOS). We know relatively little about whether such reductions are likely to be accompanied by proportional reductions in the utilization of all inpatient services or whether services are merely condensed into a shorter time frame. Average patient severity may well rise as a result of shortened LOS, causing daily resource consumption to rise. In this paper, however, we hypothesize that patients with shorter LOS consume significantly fewer resources. Our empirical results support the hypothesis for some, but not all, of the services were examined.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Public Administration, New York University, NY 10003.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Finkler
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brooten
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000720:Ancillary Services, Hospital / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005249:Fees and Charges; D005260:Female; D006739:Hospital Administration / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007224:Infant Care; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics*; D008484:Medicaid; D010414:Pennsylvania