It appears that patients now entering hospitals are sicker because treatments were deferred during the height of the pandemic. The national average patient length of stay was up nearly 10% between 2019 and 2021.
Sicker patients translate to increased costs, as these patients require more intensive treatments and medications, increased staff time and more supplies and equipment.
Exacerbating this challenge is the high percentage of the population over age 65. Health care spending for someone who is 65 and older is almost 3 times as much as someone who is working age. Compounding this is the high prevalence of certain costly diseases and conditions including high rates of obesity and adult diabetes.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals have faced historic volume and revenue losses, as well as skyrocketing expenses.
Financial losses were also incurred due to paused elective surgeries and procedures during COVID-19 surges.
Read the below article "If Health Care Is So Expensive, Why Are Hospitals Closing Their Doors?"
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