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Article: Heavy costs; Hospitals pay high price to treat obese patients.(The Week in Healthcare)
- Article from:
- Modern Healthcare
- Article date:
- December 22, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Crain Communications, Inc. 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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Byline: Julie Piotrowski and Michael Romano
Hospitals are facing additional yearly costs of up to a half million dollars each to address a problem that is growing literally and figuratively: treating or accommodating severely obese patients. Health officials say the costs are likely to continue to increase along with patients' widening waistlines.
A survey released last week by group purchasing giant Novation found that providers are seeing a greater number of severely obese patients-defined as overweight by at least 100 pounds-than ever before. The change in patient population has left hospitals with little choice but to remodel inpatient and outpatient ...