Hospitalizations Related to Childbirth, 2008

Excerpt

In light of the importance of childbirth-related hospitalizations in the health care system, it is important to quantify and understand changing trends in hospital procedures for childbirth. This Statistical Brief presents data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) on childbirths occurring in U.S. community hospitals in 2008. All data are reported from the maternal perspective (i.e., reflecting the experience of the mother, not the newborn). Variations in the utilization and costs associated with childbirth-related hospitalizations are illustrated with a focused look at differences across mode of delivery and payer type. All differences between estimates noted in the text are statistically significant at the 0.05 level or better.