Using methodologies from Kaufman Hall, three health systems — Tufts Medical Center, Community Health Network and Barnabas Health — looked at inpatient utilization in their respective areas: the nine-county eastern Massachusetts region that includes Boston, the nine-county central Indiana area that includes Indianapolis and the general Newark, N.J., area. Here are some of the main observations. Note: The studies analyzed inpatient utilization rates per 1,000 people from 2010 to 2012. The report builds off a Kaufman Hall analysis from March, when the firm looked at inpatient rates in the seven-county area surrounding Chicago.
• Eastern Massachusetts (population: 5 million). Inpatient volumes dropped 5 percent in this region. Utilization fell most among the Medicare-eligible population (10 percent) and those aged 0-17 (8 percent). Inpatient services for cardiovascular care decreased the most (14 percent) among service lines.
• Central Indiana (population: 1.8 million). Inpatient rates fell in the area surrounding Indianapolis, but not as severely as in Boston. Utilization dropped 2.5 percent overall, with those aged 0-14 experiencing the largest decline (6 percent). Gynecology inpatient volumes plummeted 28 percent, by far the most of any service line.
• Newark (population: 277,718). This area witnessed a 4.3 percent drop in inpatient utilization. Similar to eastern Massachusetts, the largest declines came among the oldest and youngest crowds. Interventional cardiology (26 percent) and general cardiology (17 percent) posted the steepest declines in inpatient utilization.
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