Leading Causes of Hospitalization

Background
Data Sources

Background

Hospitals are critical components of a strong health system, as they provide essential services for those with acute, often life-threatening conditions that require immediate, highly coordinated, and specialized expertise and equipment [1].

In DC, there are eight acute care hospitals or medical centers that provide services to DC residents: Children’s National Medical Center, George Washington University Hospital, Howard University Hospital, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Sibley Memorial Hospital, and United Medical Center. In data previous to 2019, Providence Hospital, which closed in April, 2019, is also included.

In addition to these core hospitals, there are also two psychiatric hospitals: Psychiatric Institute of Washington and St. Elizabeths Hospital that provide services for those with severe mental health disorders and/or substance use conditions [2].

Over time, the two top leading causes of hospitalization in the District have remained the same. The number of hospitalizations related to infectious and parasitic diseases have increased over the past four years.