Participation by smaller hospitals is slightly less than that by larger hospitals. This might affect causes of hospitalization. length of stay, and total hospital charges since the larger hospitals carry a relatively heavier charity load. This, too, might have some influence on the sources of payment and on the unpaid balances of such hospitals. The recorded data may give, therefore, a somewhat lower collection rate than actually exists.

There were 27,906 patients included in the study. Of these, 20,232 were hospitalized in the 35 hospitals having 100 or more beds. 5,686 in the 22 hospitals having 50--99 beds, and 1,988 in the 15 hospitals with less than 50 beds. The Piedmont area had 18,908 of the total patients (67.8%) the Eastern area, 5,727, and the Western area, 3,271. These figures compare favorably with the distribution of population in the State, with the Piedmont area having the greatest concentration of population and of larger hospitals.

A geographical distribution of the 72 hospitals is shown in Appendix II. The hospitals are located in 53 counties of the State. Thirteen of the 72 hospitals accept white patients only and 2 hospitals accept only nonwhite patients. The remaining 57 hospitals accept both white and nonwhite.

FINDINGS

AGE AND COLOR OF PATIENTS IN STUDY BY QUARTER

A breakdown of the total patients in the study by age and color is shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Number of Patients by Age and Color, by Quarter:
North Carolina Hospital Discharge Study, 1959-60.

The highest percentage of white patients is in the 25-44 age group while the lowest percentage is in the 65 and over age group. This is true for each quarter. Among the nonwhite patients, the highest

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 patients, 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 difference in rank by color for the various classifications.