Patient charges in short-stay hospitals United States-1968-1970

spent on short-stay non-Federal hospital care (excluding maternity patients and newborn infants). This estimate rose to $15.5 billion in1969 and $17.7 billion by 1970, an increase of approximately 34 percent over the 1968 figure. The estimated average charge per episode of hospitalization was $536 in 1968, $622 in 1969, and $693 in 1970. These are some major findings of the Hospital Discharge Survey (HDS) which since 1965 has been collecting data on the characteristics of patients, their diagnoses and surgical procedures, and on the hospitals from which they were discharged. For the years 1968-1970, data was also collected on hospital charges and sources of payment. This report is based on hospital charges-the amount charged by the hospital to the patient or third-party insurer. This amount does not reflect the hospital's cost for treating patients, nor does it necessarily reflect the amount actually received from insurance companies, Medicare, etc. For this survey hospital charges were classified into the following categories: room and care, pharmacy, laboratory, radiology, operating and/ or recovery room, professional services, and other services. Professional services relate only to charges which were billed by the hospital. The great majority of professional fees are billed separately by the physician's office. The composition of these services is described in appendix II.