A study by Michigan State University scholars that analyzed hospital bed availability and use in Michigan has won a major state award and $10,000 in research funding.
The study, led by Paul Delamater, a researcher in MSU’s Department of Geography, won the 2014 McDevitt Excellence in Research Award from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation in the area of health policy research.
The award comes with $10,000 to conduct clinical or health policy research.
For the study, which appeared in the journal PLOS ONE, Delamater and colleagues examined all 1.1 million admissions at Michigan’s 169 acute-care hospitals in 2010 and found a strong correlation between bed availability and use.
In other words, the simple fact the beds were available led to higher use.
Delamater said the study supports the continued regulation of new hospital construction to contain health care costs.
His co-authors were Joseph Messina, Sue Grady, Vince WinklerPrins and Ashton Shortridge.