Three reports from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's  Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)Statistical Brief series have been recently added to the HCUP User Support Web site: Hospital Stays Related to Mental Health, 2006 (HCUP Statistical Brief #62); Hospital Stays for Lung Cancer, 2006 (HCUP Statistical Brief #63); and Hospitalizations Related to Pressure Ulcers among Adults 18 Years and Older, 2006 (Statistical Brief #64).

REPORT SUMMARIES:

One in Five Hospital Admissions Are for Patients with Mental Disorders

About 1.4 million hospitalizations in 2006 involved patients who were admitted for a mental illness, while another 7.1 million patients had a mental disorder in addition to the physical condition for which they were admitted, according to the latest report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The 8.5 million hospitalizations involving patients with mental illness represented about 22 percent of the overall 39.5 million hospitalizations in 2006. AHRQ's analysis found that of the nearly 1.4 million hospitalizations specifically for treatment of a mental disorder in 2006:

• Nearly 730,000 involved depression or other mood disorders, such as bipolar disease.
• Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders caused another 381,000.
• Delirium — which can cause agitation or inability to focus attention — dementia, amnesia and other cognitive problems accounted for 131,000.
• Anxiety disorders and adjustment disorders — stress-related illnesses that can affect feeling, thoughts, and behaviors — accounted for another 76,000.
• The remaining roughly 34,000 hospitalizations involved attention-deficit disorder, disruptive behavior, impulse control, personality disorders, or mental disorders usually diagnosed in infancy or later childhood.

These findings are based on data from Hospital Stays Related to Mental Health, 2006 (HCUP Statistical Brief #62). The report uses statistics from the 2006 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a database of hospital inpatient stays that is nationally representative of inpatient stays in all short-term, non-Federal hospitals. The data are drawn from hospitals that comprise 90 percent of all discharges in the United States and include all patients, regardless of insurance type, as well as the uninsured.

Lung Cancer Rates Dropping but Hospitalization Rates Remain Constant

Hospital admissions for lung cancer remained relatively stable at roughly 150,000 a year between 1995 and 2006 despite a steady decline in the number of Americans diagnosed with the disease, according to a report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Admissions have remained constant, in part, because lung cancer patients are surviving longer and undergoing more hospital-related treatments such as chemotherapy and tumor-removal surgery, according to AHRQ experts. Smoking is considered a main cause of lung cancer — the most deadly type of cancer — but the disease can also result from exposure to hazardous substances such as asbestos, radon, pollution or second-hand smoke, as well as genetic predisposition to the disease.

AHRQ's analysis also found that:

• The average hospital cost for a lung cancer patient in 2006 was $14,200 (about $1,900 a day). The total cost for all patients was about $2.1 billion.
• The death rate of hospitalized lung cancer patients was 13 percent — 5 times higher than the average overall death rate (2.6 percent) for hospitalized patients.
• Only 2.4 percent of hospitalized lung cancer patients in 2006 were younger than 44. About 63 percent were 65 or older.
• Hospitalizations for lung cancer were far more common in the South (89 admissions per 100,000 persons) than in the Northeast (25 admissions per 100,000 persons).

These findings are based on data from Hospital Stays for Lung Cancer, 2006 (HCUP Statistical Brief # 63). The report uses statistics from the 2006 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a database of hospital inpatient stays that is nationally representative of inpatient stays in all short-term, non-Federal hospitals. The data are drawn from hospitals that comprise 90 percent of all discharges in the United States and include all patients, regardless of insurance type, as well as the uninsured.

Pressure Ulcers Increasing Among Hospital Patients

Hospitalizations involving patients with pressure ulcers — either developed before or after admission — increased by nearly 80 percent between 1993 and 2006, according to the latest an AHRQ report.

Pressure ulcers, also called bed sores, typically occur among patients who can't move or have lost sensation. Prolonged periods of immobility put pressure on the skin, soft tissue, muscle, or bone, causing ulcers to develop. Older patients, stroke victims, people who are paralyzed, or those with diabetes or dementia are particularly vulnerable. Pressure ulcers may indicate poor quality of care at home, in a nursing home, or hospital. Severe cases can lead to life-threatening infections.

AHRQ's analysis found that of the 503,300 pressure ulcer-related hospitalizations in 2006:

• Pressure ulcers were the primary diagnosis in about 45,500 hospital admissions — up from 35,800 in 1993.
• Pressure ulcers were a secondary diagnosis in 457,800 hospital admissions — up from 245,600 in 1993. These patients, admitted primarily for pneumonia, infections, or other medical problems, developed pressure ulcers either before or after admission.
• Among hospitalizations involving pressure ulcers as a primary diagnosis, about 1 in 25 admissions ended in death. The death rate was higher when pressure ulcers were a secondary diagnosis — about 1 in 8.
• Pressure ulcer-related hospitalizations are longer and more expensive than many other hospitalizations. While the overall average hospital stay is 5 days and costs about $10,000, the average pressure ulcer-related stay extends to between 13 and 14 days and costs between $16,755 and $20,430, depending on medical circumstances.

These findings are based on data from Hospitalizations Related to Pressure Ulcers Among Adults 18 Years and Older, 2006. The report uses statistics from the 2006 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a database of hospital inpatient stays that is nationally representative of inpatient stays in all short-term, non-Federal hospitals. The data are drawn from hospitals that comprise 90 percent of all discharges in the United States and include all patients, regardless of insurance type, as well as the uninsured