HOSPITAL RESOURCE CONSUMPTION AMONG OLDER ADULTS - A PROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF EPISODES, LENGTH OF STAY, AND CHARGES OVER A 7-YEAR PERIOD

After linking their administrative records and interview data, the con sumption of Medicare-reimbursed hospital resources during 1984 through 1990 by the 7,527 LSOA respondents was prospectively assessed using a two-part design. First, logistic regression was used to model whether a hospital episode occurred Second, among those having had hospital e pisodes, OLS regression was used to model tile number of episodes, as, well as the,natural logarithms,,rs of the total length of star and the total charges. The risk of hospitalization was mostly associated with being male, prior hospital and physician utilization, and lower body limitations. Among those hospitalized (a) greater numbers of episodes were mostly associated with prior hospital and physician utilization, and poorer perceived health; (b) longer lengths of star were mostly as sociated with prior hospital and physician utilization, and poorer per ceived health; and, (c) higher charges were mostly associated with pop ulation density, poorer perceived health, and prior physician and hosp ital utilization. Decedents consistently consumed substantially more h ospital resources than survivors.