percentage is in the under 25 age group for all quarters, with the exception of the fourth. There is little variation in the number of patients by quarter in any of the age groups and there would have been even less had the patients of unknown age and color been properly classified.

CAUSE OF HOSPITALIZATION

The ten leading causes of hospitalization showing number of pa tients, average length of stay, average charge per day, and average charge per admission is shown in Table 3.

TABLE 3. Ten Leading Causes of Hospitalization Showing
Number of Patients, Average Number of Days in Hospital,
Average Charge Per Day and Per Admission: North Carolina
Hospital Discharge Study, 1959-60

Figure I shows the leading causes ranked by average number of days in hospital by color. Figure II shows the leading causes ranked by average cost per day by color, and Figure III shows the leading causes by average cost per admission. There are differ ence in rank by color for the various classifications.

Bones &
mov't
organs

When the diagnostic categories are ranked according to number of patients, obstetrical care was the most frequent cause of admission with 5,278 (18.9%) of the total patients admitted for this cause. Diseases of the digestive system and diseases of the respiratory system ranked second and third, respectively. This arrangement was essentially the same as that found by Lerner in the 1956 Indiana study of a Blue Cross population, except the second and third causes were reversed.

The average number of days in the hospital per admission was 6.6 days with considerable variation among the diagnostic categories. The average length of stay was some what shorter than that reported by Lerner (7.3 days). Among the whites, diseases of the circulatory system led, followed by cancer and diseases of the bones. Cancer was responsible for the longest hospital stay, followed by diseases of the circulatory system, and diseases of the nervous system among the nonwhites. At the other extreme, the shortest duration was among persons admitted for obstetrical care, followed by diseases of the respiratory system, and diseases of the digestive system. This was true for both white and nonwhite patients.

The hospital charges averaged $23.46 per day which included both the room rate and the various ancillary services performed in the hospital. This charge compares favorably with the $22.91 reported by Lerner. The average charge per day varied according to diagnosis and color. The highest average daily charge among whites was for diseases of the genito-urinary system, followed by cancer, and obstetrical care. Among the nonwhites, cancer recorded the highest daily charge with obstetrical care next, followed by diseases of the digestive system. The lowest cost per day among both whites and nonwhites was for admissions due to diseases of early infancy ($11.60 for whites and $10.63 for nonwhites).

The average charge per admission amounted to $153.96, with cancer being the most expensive of the diagnostic categories for both races, averaging $249.00 for whites and $257.26 for nonwhites. Diseases of the circulatory system was the next highest in total charge per admission for both whites and nonwhites. Admission for obstetrical care was the least expensive followed by diseases of the respiratory system.

1. Lerner - Hospital Use and Charges by Diagnostic Category, a report on the Indiana study of a Blue Cross population in 1956, Health Information Foundation, Research Series 13.