An annual report on Wisconsin’s hospitals shows the average stay in 2015 was about 4.5 days and cost $32,000. The average charge for hospitalization rose 5.2 percent compared to the previous year, according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association, which released the findings.
While cost has gone up, time spent in the hospital has gone down since 2000 because of procedures that can now be performed in different settings. But emergency room visits rose 4.7 percent last year.
“As more people are entering the health care system and more people are new to coverage, they tend to use the emergency department as their entry point into the system, said Jean Doeringsfeld, vice president of the WHA’s Information Center.
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ER use has increased across the country since the Affordable Care Act expanded coverage.
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