Deferred care due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased patient acuity and driven "unsustainable financial challenges," according to an August 15 report from the American Hospital Association.
"Hospitals need additional federal support to address these financial challenges and advance the health of their patients and communities," the group stated in the report.
Three things to know:
1. Overall patient acuity has increased each year since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the report. Overall patient acuity, as measured by the average length of stay, was up nearly 10 percent between 2019 and 2021.
2. The average length of stay was up 6 percent between 2019 and 2021 for Medicare fee-for-service patients in the hospital for reasons other than COVID-19, the report stated.
3. Increased patient acuity is a key driver of increased labor, drug and supply costs for hospitals, according to the report.
Read the full report here.