In case you missed it, the Coalition to Strengthen America’s Healthcare released new research by KNG Health Consulting which found hospitals serve an irreplaceable, “unique role in the healthcare delivery system by providing access to specialized and around-the-clock care not otherwise available.” This report also highlights how patients rely on hospitals more during serious health crises than urgent care clinics or other kinds of facilities. While other facilities are sometimes presented as alternatives to hospital care, the analysis demonstrates they don’t provide the same capabilities, accessibility, dependability or level of care as hospitals.
Four key takeaways from the report include:
1. Patients rely on the 24/7/365 Emergency Department care provided by hospitals, including when many other sites of care are closed.
- 80% of hospitals in the U.S. have an Emergency Department (ED) onsite.
- Most ED visits (61%) occur after normal business hours or on the weekend, when other sites of care may be closed.
- Americans visited EDs more than 83 million times after hours and on weekends in 2021.
2. When patients are sickest, they turn to hospitals for help.
- 17.6 million ED visits required patient hospitalization.
- Nearly 85% of all trauma patients required trauma team level I and II activations, meaning that nearly 85% of all trauma patients required the highest level of complex, life-saving care that only experts and specialists at hospitals can provide.
- 64% of Medicare fee-for-service patients who visit a hospital with a trauma center require care directly from the trauma team, underscoring the seriousness of their illness or injury.
3. Hospitals are uniquely equipped to provide complex care.
- 45% of hospitals in the U.S. have a trauma center featuring a multidisciplinary team of surgeons, physicians, and other caregivers to heal patients suffering from life-threatening injuries that can require immediate treatment, such as motor vehicle collisions and gunshot wounds.
- More than one in three hospitals with trauma centers have been awarded Level I or Level II status, meaning they are equipped and prepared to treat patients with the most severe conditions.
- Nearly 1,000 hospitals in the U.S. offer inpatient psychiatric beds to individuals suffering from mental health crises.
4. Hospitals are heavily utilized in rural communities, many of which struggle with decreased access to primary care physicians for routine and preventative care.
- Hospitals can be crucial for patients in rural communities, as a lack of preventative care can quickly lead to more severe conditions that patients rely on hospital specialists to treat.
- Rural patients turned to hospital EDs almost 18 million times in 2021 alone.
Policymakers must support our nation’s hospitals by standing firm against pressure from corporate insurers for so-called site-neutral Medicare cuts, enabling hospitals to continue to serve patients 24/7/365. Read the full report HERE.