10% of Hospitalizations Preventable

OPEN MINDS Weekly News Wire Strategic Health Care News Ten percent of the nearly 40 million hospitalizations that occurred in the United States in 2008 were deemed to be potentially preventable if appropriate outpatient care had been provided. Most of the hospitalizations were for diabetes, dehydration, and certain heart conditions and infections. For the purposes of this study, hospitalizations related to mental illness or addiction were not considered preventable. These were the findings of a report, titled “Potentially Preventable Hospitalizations for Acute and Chronic Conditions, 2008,” by Elizabeth Stranges, M.S., and Carol Stocks, R.N., M.H.S.A . . .