Too many trips to the hospital could have been prevented. The Missouri Hospital Association reviewed hospitalizations for several common diseases and found high rates of what it terms preventable hospitalizations. Leslie Porth with the Association says the study tracks a number of conditions identified in a national study. Poverty seems to be the common factor in most preventable hospitalizations. Porth says the poor often don’t have regular check-ups, either by visiting a physician or a health clinic. She says the data will help Missouri hospitals work with their communities to improve the health of their residents and keep hospital beds free for more serious conditions.
