In Pennsylvania, hospital super utilizers — patients that are admitted to a hospital five or more times in a year — spent $1.25 billion on healthcare in 2016, according to a recent report by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council.
These super users represent 3 percent of hospitalized patients in the state; however, they account for 10 percent of payments to hospitals, 12 percent of hospital admissions and 15 percent of hospital days, according to the report.
Almost 80 percent of the $1.25 billion healthcare tab was covered by Medicare or Medicaid payments, the report stated.
"Many of Pennsylvania's super-utilizers have chronic health needs. Results from this brief can help policy makers and health care professionals determine the best approach to care for these patients while containing costs," Joe Martin, executive director of Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council, said in a news release.