Does Longer Hospitalization Mean Better Care? Study Says No - East Idaho News
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Does Longer Hospitalization Mean Better Care? Study Says No

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GETTY H 071012 HospBed?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1355807333731iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Shorter hospital stays don’t necessarily mean patient care is compromised, according to a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Researchers at the Iowa City VA Medical Center reviewed the records of 129 VA hospitals nationwide and found that over 14 years, the length of time patients were hospitalized had decreased. They also found that patients were not re-admitted as often during the same time.

“What we found was that [both rates] went down simultaneously. We can improve efficiency and at the same time improve 30-day readmission rates,” said lead author Dr. Peter Kaboli, according to HealthDay.

Kaboli says that many health care systems seek to improve on efficiency to move patients more quickly through the hospital to lower costs and because, “patients prefer to go home,” HealthDay reports.

The review was conducted by looking a patient records between 1997 and 2010.

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