Estimating hospital service areas using mortality statistics

This article reports research testing an alternative methodology for patient origin studies that uses hospital deaths as a proxy measure for all discharges from a selected group of urban tertiary hospitals. Results indicated that mortality data from vital statistics records provide a reasonable approximation of patient travel patterns to acute care hospitals. Hospital service area indexes constructed from mortality statistics accurately predicted, on an aggregate regional basis, the results of a conventional patient origin study based on all hospital discharges. Hospital service areas, an important element of locational analysis in health planning, can be identified with the suggested methodology for states and areas lacking statewide uniform hospital discharge systems. A number of caveats are suggested for applying this methodology and interpreting its results.