Length of hospital stay of Medicare patients in the post-prospective-payment-system era

This study examines factors determining hospital length of stay (LOS) for Medicare patients in the post-prospective-payment-system (PPS) era according to type of ownership, geographical region, bed size, and financial performance. The study design includes a number of economic and financial variables. In the empirical findings, the following factors are significant in determining hospital LOS of Medicare patients: hospital size, type of ownership, profitability, teaching status, and competition. Other studies have examined factors influencing length of hospitalization; however, none of these studies investigates the effect on LOS of a change in the type of hospital ownership. Furthermore, this study uses more recent and comprehensive data than in the current literature.