Study Reveals Uneven Medicare Funding In Different Hospitals

Chronically ill patients are not being treated well in many hospitals around the United States, suggests an influential study released today. The government Medicare tab is receiving bills that are far larger than they should be, as hospitals continue to treat patients for longer than they should, with little or no chance of improvement in their health.

Researchers at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practices said that health costs in the U.S. are rising because of the manner in which patients spend the final two years of their lives in hospitals, receiving medical care. Had the system been efficient, Medicare could have saved as much as $50 billion over five years by providing the right treatment to patients at the right time.

The study involved assessment of data from around 192,000 Medicare patients treated at teaching hospitals. They all died between 2001 and 2005. 93 hospitals were covered in the study.

The average cost of hospital care over the two years was found to be $67,389 per patient. However, the costs for treatment in different hospitals vary greatly.

At some places the patients’ needs are not being catered to, while at others the dying patients are being given unnecessary treatment.

The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care 2008 found that New Jersey hospitals have the nation's highest Hospital Care Intensity Index Score, indicating that dying patients in New Jersey see the most doctors, undergo maximum number of tests (useful or useless) and spend the most time in hospitals and intensive care units.

According to Dr. Elliott Fisher, the lead author of the study, more days in the hospital did not necessarily lead to better outcomes. Those patients were usually seen by more specialists, and they spent more time in the intensive care unit, but they did not live longer, on average.

"We know that hospitals are dangerous places if you don't need to be there," Fisher said.