(Information referred to follows:) AMERICAN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION, Hon. WILBUR D. MILLS, Chairman, Ways and Means Committee, WASHINGTON SERVICE BUREAU, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. DEAR MR. MILLS: When the representatives of the American Hospital Association appeared before your committee on July 26, we promised to furnish certain information for the record. We now have this material which is as follows: 1. The number of anesthesiologists and the number of nurse anesthetists in U.S. hospitals and approximate number of anesthetics given by each group: Answer: The number of nurse anesthetists employed by hospitals on a fulltime basis is 6,457, with 774 on a part-time basis. The number of anesthesiologists is 6,229. We have no information on the relative number of anesthetics given by each group. Source: Hospitals, 1960, Guide Issue, and American Medical Association. 2. Number of hospitals by type, ownership and size with percentages of the total for each group and annual admissions for each: Answer: Please see exhibit 1. Source: Hospitals, 1960, Guide Issue. 3. What is the source of funds to finance the health care of indigents and comparisons between the amounts provided by local or municipal governments, by State government, and by Federal Government? Answer: We are unable to furnish completely satisfactory data on these questions. Exhibit II presents some figures which may give an aggregate estimate of health funds for the indigent. Source: Social Welfare Expenditures, 1958-59, Social Security Bulletin (November 1960), table 5, page 43. 4. The average length of hospital stay by specific disease category with indication as to how length of stay has varied over a period of years: Answer: Please see exhibit III. These tables present length of stay by age, sex, and disease category. Source: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, "Health, Education and Welfare Trends" (1960), page 47. 5. Information indicating percentages of cure. This is taken to mean the number of deaths in hospitals in relation to total admissions: Answer: In 1958, total admissions to hospitals amounted to 23,697,000. Of this number, 877,174 died in hospitals, or a percentage of 3.7 deaths to admissions. 6. Figures on cost per hospitalized illness compared over a period of years: Answer: Please see exhibit IV. Source: Please see exhibit IV. We trust that the above material will be helpful to the committee. Sincerely yours, VANE M. HOGE, M.D., Assistant Director. EXHIBIT 1 Hospital Fact Sheet-Hospital statistics of the United States, 19591 The 12-month period ending Sept. 30, 1959. * Includes general, psychiatric, tuberculosis, and other special. * Includes hospital departments of institutions (prisons, colleges, etc.). Includes maternity; eye, ear, nose, and throat; children's; orthopedic; contagious; chronic and con valescent; and all other special. Includes State, county, city-county, and hospital district. Hospital Fact Sheet-Hospital statistics of the United States, 1959-Con. B. TOTAL EXPENSES AND ASSETS |