A study of medical and hospital costs of patients in public wards at the Winnipeg General Hospital

Abstract

There was a time when hospital treatment was a dangerous experience. "A large proportion of the public once considered admission to hospital as an adversity or dire misfortune only to be accepted in time of extreme illness." People were treated in their own homes, with the accompanying lack of facilities involved in home treatment contributing to inadequate care. Because of the progress in medical science and the increase in numbers and size of hospital facilities required to put so much of modern medicine into practice, more people have used more hospitals for a greater variety of treatments than ever before. However, along with this greater use of hospitals has come an accompanying rise in costs... There seems to be little doubt however, that in spite of costs, people will use hospitals for certain services. Maternity, for example, has been considered a justifiable hospital expense....