This brief is interesting as it lays out the different circumstances that led to newborn babies being admitted to the hospitals for long after they are born. Some statistics also show a decline in live births in the hospital in 2011 compared to 2008 (Kowlessar, Jiang, & Steiner, 2013). Also, in 2011 there was an increase in hospital costs because the low birth weight newborns stayed longer in the hospital.
The brief gives data from the HCUP on the different properties of live healthcare births but excludes stillbirths in the USA in 2011. It is noted that many USA deliveries occur in a hospital, and most of them are live births. The majority of newborns in the USA are healthy, although some are born prematurely and with low weight. Low birth weight tends to bring respiratory complications to the newborn.
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This becomes a reason for them to stay in the hospital longer as they usually need help with oxygen, and this more extended hospital stay for newborns is generally costly. The hospital cost is different depending on the conditions that led to the extended hospital stay with the newborns with respiratory distress syndrome being the expensive one at $ 54,900.
There were different reasons as to why the newborn had longer stay in the hospital. There were those born prematurely, before 9 months of gestation. Some babies were born with below average birth weights, and there are those born with respiratory distress syndrome and needed help in breathing, and there was the use of oxygen machines to support their breath.
Conclusively, it is also interesting how the hospital charges are typically converted to costs using the HCUP ratio. The price tends to reflect the expenses incurred during the service delivery in the hospital. The costs can sometimes be catered for by private insurance or Medicaid.
Reference
Kowlessar, N. M., Jiang, H. J., & Steiner, C. (2013, October). Hospital Stays for Newborns, 2011. HEALTHCARE COST AND UTILIZATION PROJECT , pp. 1-12. Retrieved from https://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb163.pdf
