May 2024 Utilization Report

Highlights: A generalized increase is noted across all focus utilization metrics this month compared to January 2020 baseline. Acute care admissions moved from -13% under the baseline last month to -10% in May (Fig. 1) with all except one hospital showing a slight increase in volumes as shown in Table 2 of the report. Emergency department visits and psychiatric admissions both show a slight increase in volumes this month going from -23% to -22% and -21% to -19% below baseline respectively. Observation admissions and ambulatory surgeries continue to remain over 2020 baseline as portrayed in Fig. 1 below.

 

Reduced variation in observation admissions has been seen over the past few months. In addition, volumes show a recovery compared to the height of the COVID-19 pandemic after the emergency was declared in March 2020 as depicted in Fig. 2 below. Comparing March 2023 to March 2020 volumes there is a noted recovery even though some variation is observed as depicted in Fig. 2. Conversely, psychiatric admissions continue to fluctuate around the post-COVID median and have returned to pre-COVID volumes with the biggest drop observed from March to April 2020 following the emergency declaration as shown in Fig. 3 below.