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Article: Survey Shows Hospitals Spend Thousands to Equipment to Treat Obese Patients.
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
- Article date:
- December 18, 2003
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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By Liz Kowalczyk, The Boston Globe Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Dec. 18--US hospitals are spending thousands of dollars to widen doorways, purchase oversize beds and blood pressure cuffs, and otherwise accommodate growing numbers of obese patients.
A survey by Novation, a Texas company that purchases supplies for hospitals, found 80 percent of its clients said they had treated more obese patients in the past year than ever before. The hospitals reported spending $3,500 to $500,000 annually on equipment, training, or other costs associated with treating obese patients.
Novation surveyed 282 hospitals; 69 responded. Seventeen percent ...