Hospital utilization in the twenty first century.
The combined influence of a number of trends will determine the utilization rate of hospitals in the twenty first century. Aging of the population would suggest that hospital utilization will increase significantly over the next 40 years; however, major changes are taking place in the delivery of health services. This article examines the possible combined impact of the aging population, the increased use of alternative health insurance policies, and the growth in HMOs.
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001509:Bed Occupancy / Q000639:trends*; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations / Q000639:trends; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000639:trends; D014481:United States