Hospital Utilization: A Study of the Effective and Efficient Use of Hospital Facilities

Abstract

In this paper I have introduced some of the problems the hospital has faced in the past and still faces today, emphasizing the problem of inappropriate utilization. I have included a discussion of the characteristics of the patient population and also the determinants of the hospital utilization rate. A major part of the paper is spent discussing the hospitals' fight against ineffective utilization through the use of the utilization committee. In the discussion, I point out the lack of depth most of the articles have had and go on to point out that utilization is not only the effective use of the hospital but also the efficient use of hospital facilities. I mention that there have been major problems in the development of committees and the control of utilization but that further effort in this area will aid greatly in establishing the proper utilization level.