Increased Rate of Obesity Impacts Hospital Costs
An often overlooked impact of the growing obesity epidemic in the United States is the consequences for hospitals caring for these patients. More and more patients simply cannot be accommodated by equipment that is designed to hold a person with a maximum weight of 250 to 300 pounds. The Philadelphia Inquirer noted that the result is that hospitals have to make modifications to purchasing; buying both new furniture and equipment alike to meet the needs of obese patients. All this purchasing and sometimes renting of equipment, raises overall costs to treat these patients.
Three different examples were cited in the Inquirer report. First, instead of filling hospital waiting rooms with chairs to seat single individuals, hospitals are more apt to purchase sofas or loveseats that can fit heavier patients. The latter two examples are critical in that they also address safety considerations for staff in healthcare facilities. Stretchers capable of holding patients up to 750 pounds are being purchased, as well as overhead lifts to support staff while patients are moved.
Other purchases are also changing. Patient restrooms are fitted with floor-mounted toliets rather than wall-mounted, which are less sturdy. Facilities are purchasing or renting larger beds, walkers and commodes suitable for patients who are morbidly obese. Other purchases include larger patient gowns and longer catheters and needles.
Technology changes are also occurring as manufacturers respond to a changing demographic of patients being treated. Imaging equipment, in particular, needs to be widened to fit larger patients to provide optimal imaging. Some hospitals are reinvesting in MRI machines, for example, to fit patients who weigh up to 550 pounds. Patients who are not candidates for imaging because of their size may be forced to undergo more invasive procedures to obtain diagnosis.
All these changes and new purchases add up to an expensive price tag for hospitals. Furniture, for example, that can accommodate patients who are morbidly obese may cost 20 to 50 percent more than standard furniture. Hospitals have a quandary recouping these costs because insurers do not pay more to care for these patients. And, hospitals treat them more frequently because these patients are more like to have co-morbid diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Obese patients are also more likely to develop complications than their non-obese counterparts.
A report from Stryker notes that there is significant growth potential in the bariatric market across the country. It is currently marked near $100 million annually and growing at a rate of twenty percent. Currently, over fifteen million people in the U.S. are considered morbidly obese. And, the percentage of patients who are super obese increased 75 percent between 2000 and 2005. This growth places continued demand on hospitals to provide the necessary tools to treat these individuals.
March 20, 2008 Related topics: Facilities, Bariatrics & Obesity, Trends, Materials Management