Three percent of Pennsylvania hospital patients, called "super-utilizers," generated $761 million in Medicare and Medicaid expenses in fiscal year 2014, according to a study released Thursday from the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council.
PHC4 examined data of patients with five or more hospital admissions in 12 months. Here are five key statistics PHC4 found on the cost of care for super-utilizers in Pennsylvania.
- 31 percent of super-utilizers were admitted to the hospital seven or more times in a year (6,794 patients).
- 12 percent were admitted nine or more times (2,484 patients).
- 14 percent ($545 million) of Pennsylvania's Medicare fee-for-service inpatient payments were for super-utilizers.
- 17 percent ($216 million) of the state's Medicaid fee-for-service and managed care payments were for this population.
- The average length of stay in the hospital for super-utilizers (5.9 days) is 1.5 days longer than the average stay for patients who were admitted to the hospital one to two times in the past year.
"Having data on super-utilizers will help the Commonwealth's policy makers and healthcare professionals as they determine the best way to care for those with chronic care needs while containing costs," Joe Martin, executive director of PHC4, said in a statement.
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