Serving the Uninsured: Safety-Net Hospitals, 2003

HCUP Fact Book No. 8

To help fulfill its mission of providing information on the U.S. health care system, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) develops and sponsors databases that include the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). Through HCUP, AHRQ has taken a lead in developing databases, software tools, and statistical reports to inform policymakers, health system leaders, and researchers at the Federal, regional, and State levels.

This Fact Book presents a detailed examination of hospitals that treat a disproportionate share of uninsured patients and are often the only source of health care for millions of Americans. Information is presented on the financial status of these "safety-net" hospitals and the clinical characteristics of the patients they serve.

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By Roxanne M. Andrews, Ph.D.; Donald E. Stull, Ph.D.; Irene Fraser, Ph.D.; Bernard Friedman, Ph.D.; Robert L. Houchens, Ph.D.

Contents

Executive Summary
Foreword
Contributors
Introduction
     Overview: Safety-net hospitals provide a critical point of access for the uninsured
Part I: Hospital Structural and Geographic Characteristics
     Safety-net hospitals span all locations, sizes, and ownership groups
     Safety-net hospitals are more likely to be public hospitals
Part II: Hospital Financial Status
     Safety-net hospitals are financially vulnerable
     Public safety-net hospitals fare worse financially than other safety-net hospitals
     Uninsured patients in public safety-net hospitals have greater resource needs
     Rural safety-net hospitals are especially vulnerable
     Financial status of teaching safety-net hospitals is mixed
Part III: Patient Clinical Characteristics
     Safety-net hospitals admit fewer patients for specialized surgery and more for alcohol and mental health services
     Safety-net hospitals have patients with resource needs similar to those of patients in non-safety-net hospitals
Source of Data for This Report
Methods
References
For More Information
Acknowledgments
Appendix: AHRQ Safety-Net Initiatives

AHRQ Publication No. 07-0006
Current as of January 2007

Internet Citation:

Andrews RM, Stull DE, Fraser I, Friedman B, Houchens RL. Serving the Uninsured: Safety-Net Hospitals, 2003—HCUP Fact Book No. 8. AHRQ Publication No. 07-0006, January 2007. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/data/hcup/factbk8/