Norwood Hospital Intensive Care Rates Lead Regional Survey at $525-a-Day-November 2, 1981

Comparative Regional Hospital Survey Highlights Rising Health Care Costs

A comprehensive regional hospital survey reveals that Norwood Hospital maintains the highest intensive care unit rates among five surveyed South Shore medical centers, charging $625 for the first day and $525 a day thereafter.

While Norwood’s ICU rates lead the region, comparative analysis across other hospital services shows varying cost structures throughout Eastern Massachusetts. The regional intensive care unit daily rates break down as follows:

Norwood Hospital: $625 first day / $525 thereafter
Quincy City Hospital: $450 per day
South Shore Hospital (Weymouth): $429 per day
Milton Hospital: $375 per day
Jordan Hospital (Plymouth): $279 per day

However, when examining semi-private medical-surgical rooms, Quincy City Hospital registers as the most expensive in the survey at $195.50 per day, compared to $169 at South Shore Hospital, $160 at Norwood Hospital, $152 at Milton Hospital, and $149 at Jordan Hospital. Quincy also reports higher fees for specific services, such as a two-view chest X-ray costing $51.75, while surrounding hospitals charge between $32 and $38.

Regional Hospital Occupancy Rates & Financial Factors

Facility Occupancy Rates

South Shore Hospital (280 beds): 92% occupancy
Jordan Hospital (147 beds): 87% occupancy
Norwood Hospital: ~85% occupancy (with higher spikes recently noted by spokesperson Marjorie Clapprood)
Milton Hospital (161 beds): 82% occupancy
Quincy City Hospital (355 beds): Over 20% of beds empty on average

National Health Expenditure Context

According to a Department of Health and Human Services report, U.S. health care spending reached $247 billion (consuming $1 of every $10 spent nationally), driven by inflation, population growth, and increased medical testing.

Factors Influencing Rates and Administrative Shifts

Explaining the underlying causes of municipal hospital rate disparities, Michael Dooley, assistant director of fiscal affairs at Quincy City Hospital, noted that 55 to 60 percent of Quincy’s 355 beds are regularly occupied by elderly patients relying on Medicare. This heavy reliance on Medicare complicates billing and coincides with lower occupancy rates, as more than 20 percent of Quincy’s beds remain empty and idle.

Meanwhile, administrative changes are underway at Quincy City Hospital following the January takeover by the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), a Tennessee-based nationwide management company, aimed at improving cost efficiency.

Nationwide, health care costs continue to soar. Federal, state, and local governments absorbed $140 billion (about 42 percent) of the nation’s total health care expenditures last year, prompting the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Management and Budget to weigh new cost-cutting proposals for Medicare and Medicaid outlays.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger