In 2006, 52.4% of the 4,956 short-term, acute-care, nonfederal hospitals in the U.S. were affiliated with MHSs, up from 51.8% of the 4,911 in 2005. The average number of hospital days per 1,000 members of HMOs not owned by MHSs grew 6.6% in 2006, to 302.2 from 283.6 in 2005, the fifth consecutive annual increase. The average number of prescriptions dispensed to non-Medicare members of MHS-owned HMOs decreased slightly in 2006, to 8.5 from 8.7 the previous year. In 2006, total hospital outpatient revenue was $103.6 million, up 9.9% from $94.3 million in 2005. As a consequence, the outpatient revenue percentage of total hospital revenue increased to 38.1% from 37.4% the prior year. Between 2005 (11,485.8) and 2006 (11,292.9), the average number of admissions fell at hospitals in MHSs that owned HMOs, the first such decline in this measure since 2001 (9,799.7).

Between 2005 and 2006, the ratio of FTE registered nurses (RNs) to occupied beds rose both at hospitals in MHSs that owned HMOs (to 2.08 from 2.05) and at hospitals in MHSs that did not own HMOs (to 2.02 from 2.00). In 2006, total costs per occupied bed were just over $1.0 million at hospitals that were part of MHSs that owned HMOs, up 4.7% from $987,827 in 2005. Since 2001 ($821,194), these costs have risen by more than one-quarter (26.0%). Non-MHS hospitals averaged 164.7 outpatient visits per day, up 5.2% from 156.6 in 2005, the fourth consecutive annual rise. After rising notably between 2004 (60.2%) and 2005 (66.4%), the average intensive care unit (ICU) occupancy rate forMHS hospitals fell slightly in 2006, to 65.3%. Pharmaceutical expenses per discharge at hospitals tied to government-run MHSs fell 27.9% in 2006, to $1,380 from $1,915 in 2005, reversing two straight years of double-digit growth.