Well Managed, Efficient
Washington Hospitals
• Washington hospitals as a group consistently
demonstrate lower rates of admission, shorter
stays and lower outpatient visit rates than hospitals
in most other states.
• The following slides illustrate key findings from the
American Hospital Association’s 2010 survey of
hospitals.
• For more information, contact Jonathan Bennett
(jonathanb@wsha.org).
Updated February 2012
Washington State Hospital Association
Washington has one of the lowest
bed rates in the nation
Washington
and Oregon
have the
fewest beds
per thousand
population.
Inpatient Beds per 1,000 Population
5
4.4
4
3
2
2.6
1.7
1.7
Washington
Oregon
1
0
United States
Mississippi
Data source: American Hospital Association 2010 Annual Survey of Hospitals
Washington State Hospital Association
Washington has only two hospitals with
more than 500 staffed beds
40%
35%
Percent of Hospitals
42 percent of
Washington’s
hospitals have
fewer than 50
beds,
compared to
32 percent of
the hospitals
in the nation.
Percent of Hospitals by Available Beds
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
6-24
Beds
25-49
Beds
50-99
Beds
100-199 200-299 300-399 400-499
Beds
Beds
Beds
Beds
Washington
500+
Beds
United States
Data source: American Hospital Association 2010 Annual Survey of Hospitals
Washington State Hospital Association
Washington has fewer hospital
admissions than the national average
Washington
has the
seventh
lowest
admission
rate in the
country.
Inpatient Admissions per 1,000 Population (Age Adjusted)
160
143
140
120
114
100
80
79
87
60
40
20
0
Utah
Washington
United States
Pennsylvania
Data source: American Hospital Association 2010 Annual Survey of Hospitals
Washington State Hospital Association
The western states tend to have low bed
rates and low admissions rates
Data source: American Hospital Association 2008 Annual Survey of Hospitals
Washington State Hospital Association
Washington has a very low
average length of stay
Average Length of Stay
Only five
states have a
shorter length
of stay.
8
7.0
7
6
Days
5
5.4
4.3
4.5
Oregon
Washington
4
3
2
1
0
United States
Nebraska
Data source: American Hospital Association 2010 Annual Survey of Hospitals
Washington State Hospital Association
With shorter lengths of stay and fewer admissions,
inpatient days in Washington are very low
Only Utah and
Oregon have
fewer hospital
inpatient days
per 1,000
population.
Inpatient Days Per 1,000 Population (Age Adjusted)
1000
880
900
800
700
614
600
500
400
346
391
300
200
100
0
Utah
Washington
United States
New York
Data source: American Hospital Association 2010 Annual Survey of Hospitals
Washington State Hospital Association
Fewer, shorter hospital stays mean
lower expenses per resident
Washington’s
average
hospital
expenditure
per resident is
lower than the
national
average.
Hospital Expenses Per Capita
$4,000
$3,441
$3,500
$3,000
$2,500
$2,000
$1,500
$2,170
$2,194
$1,579
$1,000
$500
$0
Utah
Washington
United States Massachusetts
Data source: American Hospital Association 2010 Annual Survey of Hospitals
Washington State Hospital Association
Washington has much lower hospital
outpatient utilization than most other states
•Washington
ranks 15th
lowest in the
nation.
•Outpatient
visits per 1,000
population
increased 13
percent from
1995 to 2010 in
Washington
compared to 34
percent for the
United States.
Outpatient Visits Per 1,000 Population
4,000
3,648
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,108
2,000
1,500
1,460
1,750
1,000
500
0
Maryland
Washington
United States
Iowa
Data source: American Hospital Association 2010 Annual Survey of Hospitals
Washington State Hospital Association
Medicare admission rates in Washington
are very low compared to other states
Washington
has the 8th
lowest rate of
Medicare
admissions.
Medicare Discharges Per 1,000 Population
500
445
450
400
375
350
300
250
295
258
200
150
100
50
0
Oregon
Washington
United States
West Virginia
Data source: American Hospital Association 2009 Annual Survey of Hospitals,
Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems
Washington State Hospital Association
Washington also has a low average
length of stay for Medicare patients
Only two
states have a
shorter length
of stay for
Medicare
patients.
Medicare Average Length of Stay
7.0
6.3
6.0
5.0
5.7
4.7
4.8
Oregon
Washington
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
United States
Nevada
Data source: American Hospital Association 2009 Annual Survey of Hospitals,
Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems
Washington State Hospital Association
Medicare inpatient days in Washington are
very low compared to other states
Only three
states have
lower rates of
Medicare days
per 1,000
Medicare
beneficiaries.
Medicare Days Per 1,000 Beneficiaries
3,000
2,583
2,500
2,131
2,000
1,422
1,500
1,219
1,000
500
0
Oregon
Washington
United States
Tennessee
Data source: American Hospital Association 2009 Annual Survey of Hospitals,
Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems
Washington State Hospital Association
Fewer Medicare admissions mean lower
Medicare payments per beneficiary
Washington
ranks 19th
lowest in the
nation and is
lower than the
national
average.
Medicare Billings Per Capita
$30,000
$23,981
$25,000
$20,004
$20,000
$15,000
$17,491
$12,762
$10,000
$5,000
$0
Montana
Washington
United States
Texas
Data source: American Hospital Association 2009 Annual Survey of Hospitals,
Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems
Washington State Hospital Association