Diabetes-Related Hospitalizations on the Rise

Diabetes-Related Hospitalizations on the Rise: Nearly one in five hospitalizations in 2008 were related to diabetes, according to a recent report by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. That means a total of more than 7.7 million hospital stays and $83 million in hospital costs, of which Medicare covered 60%, the report found. On average, diabetes patients paid $10,937 for hospitalization, while those without the disease paid $8,746. The South had the highest rate of hospital stays, 2,829 per 100,000 residents, while the West had the lowest, 1,866 per 100,000.