Reimbursement changes, surgical advancements and a patient label change have led to a drop in inpatient hospital stays in the Dayton, Ohio, area, according to Dayton Daily News.
Hospitals in the Dayton region had 1.6 million inpatient hospital days in 2016, compared to 1.7 million in 2015. There were an average of 61.9 percent of occupied hospital beds in 2016, down from 64.5 percent in 2015.
Here are five factors behind the change:
1. There's been an increase in the number of patients considered "held for observation," meaning they are considered outpatient despite spending the night in the hospital. This is one reason behind Dayton-based Kettering Health Network's occupancy rate resting below 60 percent in 2016.
2. Dayton-based Premier Health has seen occupancy rate decreases for years, partially because of changes in reimbursement that reward better outcomes, according to Chief Strategy Officer Craig Self. Premier shut down Dayton-based Good Samaritan Hospital in late July as a result.
3. Another factor driving the inpatient decrease is patients are paying a greater portion of their medical bills, causing some to delay elective surgeries.
4. Patients can have common procedures done as outpatient rather than spending several nights in the hospital. Developments in home healthcare and remote patient monitoring are also keeping people out of the hospital.
5. Most regional facilities undergoing expansion are building outpatient centers. Kettering Health is one of few adding more inpatient beds, with a new hospital set to open in 2019.