Trends in Homital Use by the Aged

This article compares data from a variety of sources on the hospital utilization experience of persons aged 65 and over during the period 1963-71. These data show that, in the first 3 years fo7lowing the inception of Medicare, use of hospital services by the agedmeasured by days of care per 1~000 personsincreased at an average annual rate of 6-13 percent. Since 1969, however, hospital utilization by this age group has been declining l-3 percent annually, mostly as a result of a decline in average length of stay. Comparison with similar data for persons under age 65 reveals that a significant redistribution of hospital care between this age group and those aged 65 and over has occurred since 1965. It is likely that aged persons increased their use of hospital services to some extent at the expense of persons under age 65.