Higher hospital spending linked to lower mortality
Higher hospital spending was associated with better survival, lower readmission rates, and better quality of care for heart attack, heart failure, hip fracture, and colon cancer patients in Ontario, Canada, according to a study1 published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
"This study shows that in Ontario, a province with global hospital budgets and fewer specialized healthcare resources than the United States, outcomes following an acute hospitalization are positively associated with higher hospital spending intensity," the authors conclude. "Higher spending intensity, in turn, is associated with greater use of specialists, better patient care and more use of advanced procedures. These results suggest that it is critical to understand not simply how much money is spent, but whether it is spent on effective procedures and services."
Reference
- Stukel T, Fisher E, Alter D, et al. Association of hospital spending intensity with mortality and readmission rates in Ontario hospitals. JAMA 2012; 307:1037-1045.
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