Last update:
28-Jul-2000

Arch Hellen Med, 16(4), July-August 1999, 368-376

ORIGINAL PAPER

Residents of Greece admitted for care to a Boston hospital

C.A. ATHANASOULIS,¹ M.A. ATHANASOULIS^2
1Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
²School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California

OBJECTIVE To assess the numbers of patients from Greece admitted for care to a Boston hospital and to investigate the primary diagnosis, the principal procedure or intervention, the length of hospital stay and the hospital charges for these patients.
METHOD A computer search was made of hospital records to identify “foreign discharges” for the period 1986–1997 was conducted. Foreign discharges and accordingly foreign admissions were defined as those of patients whose permanent and legal residence was a country other than the United States. The records of patients from Greece were studied to determine the demographic characteristics, length of hospital stay, principal diagnosis, primary procedure performed and hospital charges.
RESULTS Patients from Greece constituted the largest component (11.2%) of foreign admissions to this hospital. On a per capita basis Greece was the third most common country listed as the country of origin. For the patients from Greece a neoplasm was the most common principal diagnosis (37%) and the second most common diagnosis was a circulatory disorder (23%). Malignant neoplasms of the brain and central nervous system were the most common neoplasms (28%). Cardiac disease and cerebrovascular lesions were most frequent circulatory disorders (45% and 28% respectively). Of the admissions 57% were to a surgical service, 30% to a medical service and 13% to a pediatric service. An operation or principal procedure was performed on the cardiovascular system in 21% and on the nervous system in 16%. The mean length of hospital stay was 7.8 days and the average hospital charges were $12,983 per patient, per admission.
CONCLUSIONS Over a period of twelve years, patients from Greece constituted the largest component of the foreign admissions to the Boston hospital studied. On a per capita basis (population for 1993), Greece was the third most common country listed as the country of origin. Neoplasms of the brain, coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular lesions were the most frequent principal diagnoses in the Greek patients. Coronary artery bypass surgery and brain surgery were the most common operations performed.

Key words: Hospitalization, Hospitals.