News: AHA reports rising patient acuity, driving up hospital costs while payments fall

Hospitalized patients have become sicker and more medically complex since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the American Hospital Association (AHA) in a recent report. Accordingly, COVID-19 care is very resource-intensive, and has increased even non-COVID-19 care thanks to growing patient acuity. These factors have contributed to longer hospitalizations and more intensive treatments even as hospitals and systems have faced financial struggles, with no support as of yet for the delta and omicron surges of the virus.

The AHA used data from Kaufman Hall that showed a 9.9% increase in a patient’s average length of stay (ALOS) from the pre-pandemic baseline in 2019 to 2021. The COVID-19 virus itself is not the only contributor either, with 6% of the increase coming from non-COVID-19 patients. For instance, ALOS rose 89% for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 65% for those with neuroblastoma and adrenal cancer. Likewise, patient acuity rose 11.1% for mastectomy patients, 15% for appendectomy patients, and 7% for hysterectomy patients as reflected in the case mix index.

The AHA attributes these findings to the amount of delayed or avoided care, as many Americans avoided or delayed primary care and specialty care visits during the height of the pandemic. Consequently, the AHA has made the following requests to Congress:

• Halt Medicare payment cuts to hospitals and other providers
• Extend or mark permanent waivers that improve efficiency and access to care
• Extend expiring health insurance subsidies for millions of patients
• Hold commercial insurers accountable for improper and burdensome business practices

Editor’s note: To read the full AHA report, click here.