A report reveals an average hospital stay in Canada costs almost $7,000.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information said the figure does not include the cost of emergency care, day surgery, long-term care, hospital clinics or fee-for-service payments to physicians.
"Hospitals account for the greatest share of health spending in Canada, so it is important to understand how the money is spent," institute Vice President of Programs Jean-Marie Berthelot said in a statement. "Better knowledge of the cost of medical conditions is useful for the planning of health services to meet the needs of the population."
Circulatory disease and injury from external causes pushed hospital costs higher. The next five most expensive medical conditions to treat in hospital include diseases of the respiratory system, cancers and diseases of the digestive system. The five conditions accounted for 58 percent of the cost of inpatient hospital stays, the report said.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
Related stories:
Study shows cost-effectiveness of 64-slice CT scanner in emergency department chest pain patients
A recent study led by Rahul Khare, MD, emergency department physician and assistant director of operations at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, sought to determine the cost-effectiveness of utilizing a CT scanner to evaluate low-risk chest pain patients in the emergency room. The study results which are published in the July issue of
Academic Emergency Medicine show that using a 64-slice CT scanner is more cost-effective than the current standard of care for evaluating and diagnosing this patient population, which includes an overnight stay in the observation unit and cardiac stress testing.
Changes in local health care markets affect national patient safety project
A national patient safety initiative involving major corporate employers and employer health care coalitions may set common goals, but success relies greatly on regional health care players and local market factors for actual implementation, says a recent study.
HIV screening found cost-effective in older adults
Recent studies suggest that large numbers of Americans remain sexually active well into their 60's, 70's and even 80's. But researchers at Duke University Medical Center say seniors may be overlooked as possible carriers of the AIDS virus, and based on a new study, they are recommending screening for most adults ages 55 to75 as a sensible, cost-effective way to prolong life and decrease the spread of the disease.
The good news in our DNA: Defects you can fix with vitamins and minerals
As the cost of sequencing a single human genome drops rapidly, with one company predicting a price of $100 per person in five years, soon the only reason not to look at your "personal genome" will be fear of what bad news lies in your genes.
Mimicking nature could help business survive the credit crunch
As credits crunch, recession bites, and business struggle to stay primed, researchers in Spain suggest that a more surgical approach to management and business practice is needed if a company is to survive. Writing in the
International Journal of Management Practice from Inderscience Publishers, the team explains how businesses could take a cue from nature to them restructure.
Cell-based therapy shows promise in patients with Parkinson's disease
A novel cell therapy using retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells attached to tiny gelatin bead microcarriers implanted in the brain can improve the symptoms of patients with moderate to advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Genetic test offers clues about cardiac hypertrophy in children
A mechanic uses diagnostic tests to determine why your engine is making strange sounds before lifting a wrench to fix the problem. Pediatric cardiologists would love to take a similar approach with patients experiencing cardiac hypertrophy—a thickening of the heart muscle. Rational treatment requires understanding the underlying causes of disease. But doctors know little about the causes of cardiac hypertrophy in children, so no diagnostic tests have yet been developed.
Can RFID technology promote a safer blood supply?
Radio frequency identification technology, or RFID, has inspired many novel applications of late, including efforts to study magazine reader patterns, access restricted areas, locate stolen vehicles and track luggage at major airports.