The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council has released a new research brief on so-called super-utilizers:  a small portion of the population that consumes an inordinate amount of health care.  Super-utilizers are defined as individuals with five or more hospital admissions a year.
According to the PHC4 report,

• Three percent of hospitalized patients accounted for 10 percent of hospital payments, or $1.25 billion, in 2016.
• Super-utilizers accounted for three percent of hospitalized patients, 10 percent of hospital payments, 12 percent of hospital admissions, and 15 percent of hospital days.
• 46 percent of that care was paid for by Medicare, 19 percent by Medicaid, and 19 percent was for dually eligible patients.
• The top three reasons for admissions among super-utilizers were sepsis, heart failure, and mental health disorders.
• Diabetes and alcohol and substance abuse disorders were among the leading causes of admission for Medicaid patients.
• The highest rates of super-utilizers were among blacks, low-income individuals, and older people.

The PHC4 report breaks down super-utilizers by county and shows the reasons for super-utilizers’ hospital admissions.  Its side-by-side comparison of 2012 and 2016 shows a decline in super-utilizer admissions to hospitals, perhaps because of efforts by hospitals to reduce admissions and avoid Medicare penalties for avoidable hospital readmissions.
Go here to find the PHC4 report Pennsylvania’s “Super-Utilizers” of Hospital Care.