Healthcare Finance

What is the financial impact to hospitals as care settings shift more and more to outpatient versus inpatient care?
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RESPONSE:

1. What is the financial impact to hospitals as care settings shift more and more to outpatient versus inpatient care?

If the hospital has both in-patient and outpatient, it means a shift in financial expenditures, from in-patient to outpatient care. It costs less for outpatient care than for in-patient care, but many of the visits are not reimbursed for, or reimbursed in part from insurance and Medicare, leaving the hospitals expected to absorb the additional costs. Let’s look a little closer.
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