News Releases

Declining Volume Not Isolated to Northeast Ohio According to Latest Key Indicators

Northeast Ohio hospitals once again experienced overall declining volume in the first quarter of 2012, according to the latest Key Indicators Report, a trend, which, in the past, has largely been attributed to a slowly recovering economy in Greater Cleveland. This latest report, however, cites a recent article from the Kaiser Family Foundation that acknowledges a trend of declining volume throughout the United States and points to some other potential underlying causes for it such as the rise in popularity of high deductible health plans.

Despite the larger trend, not all first quarter indicators uniformly pointed to declining volume. The number of outpatient surgical cases, for instance, increased in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the first quarter of 2011. The fledgling trend began in the fourth quarter of 2011, which also witnessed an increase in outpatient surgical cases.

The Key Indicators Report provides analysis of the hospital market based on Volume Statistics data. For more information on this report please contact Deanna Moore at 216.255.3614 or deanna.moore@chanet.org.