This section provides information about specific aspects of hospital care-- the single largest component of our health care dollar. It provides critical information about hospitalization facts and trends for those interested in improving the quality and efficiency of Hawai'i's health care system.

During the 13-year span between 1995 and 2007, the annual number of hospitalizations increased 6 percent, or about 0.5 percent per year. When adjusted for Hawai'i's population growth over the same time period (measured by hospitalizations per 1,000 population), Hawai'i's rate of hospitalization has not changed significantly (ranging from a low of 89 hospitalizations per 1,000 population in 1999 to a high of 94 hospitalizations per 1,000 population in 2004) and remains much lower than the U.S. hospitalization rate (132 hospitalizations per 1,000 population). The hospitalization rate for the rural counties is consistently higher than Honolulu.

About 67 percent of discharges were from urban (Honolulu) hospitals in 2007, compared to 70 percent in 1995.