Date of Conferral
2022
Degree
Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)
School
Business Administration
Advisor
Irene Williams
Abstract
Rising healthcare costs make access to healthcare less accessible for many individuals. Hospital administrators, payer stakeholders, and patients are concerned with rising healthcare costs, as many patients may be hindered from receiving quality health care. Grounded in complex adaptive systems theory, the purpose of this quantitative correlation study was to examine the relationship between inpatient hospital (a) LOS, (b) bed size, (c) location, (d) region, (e) control/ownership, and cost of care. The participants were community hospitals participating in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) data collection tool of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. The results of the multiple linear regression were significant, F(4, 299) = 10.60, p < .001, R2 = .15. In the final model, only two of the predictors were significant, with the length of stay providing a higher contribution (t = 6.22, p = .00, ß = .34) than control/ownership of hospital (t = 2.78, p = .01, ß = .15). A key recommendation is for healthcare leaders to drive efficiency of hospital operations decreasing length of stay and market control/ownership structure of the hospital to the public educating patients to make better choices as they chose providers for their healthcare needs. The implications for positive social change include the potential to increase access to healthcare and support public education.
Recommended Citation
Mikhataykina, Maria, "The Relationship Between Length of Stay, Hospital Characteristics, and Cost of Care in Acute Care Hospitals in the U.S." (2022). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 13588.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/13588
