title: Geographic variations in Medicare utilization of short-stay hospital services, 1981-88.
abstract: The change in Federal fiscal year 1984 from cost-based reimbursement to prospective payment at a fixed price for a known and defined product--the hospital stay--represents a fundamental change in the role of the Medicare program within the health care delivery system. In this article, national and selected geographic trends in Medicare short-stay hospital inpatient discharges since 1981 are presented, and they show the impact of the implementation of the prospective payment system.
authors: W O
authors: WO
authors: Edwards
authors: D A
authors: DA
authors: Gibson
mesh_terms: D002391:Catchment Area, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003625:Data Collection; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005843:Geography; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006278:Medicare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States