A new report by Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council shows Montgomery County is below the state average for hospital super-utilizers.

Super-utilizers are patients who are admitted to a hospital five or more times a year creating a strain on health care resources. In 2016 alone, there were 21.7 super-utilizers per 10,000 residents costing nearly $1.25 billion in hospital payments in Pennsylvania.

“Many of Pennsylvania’s super-utilizers have chronic health needs,“ said Joe Martin, executive director of PHC4. The “results from this brief can help policy makers and health care professionals determine the best approach to care for these patients while containing costs.”

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According to the research, Montgomery County’s rate of super-utilizers last year was 16 per 10,000 residents, putting it in the lower half of the state’s 67 counties. While this is a slight increase from 15.7 in 2014, it is significantly lower than four years ago, when it was 19.4.

Last year, the most common causes for hospital admissions for Montgomery County super-utilizers were sepsis with 600 admissions, heart failure at 409 and mental health disorders with 324.  These three also top the list statewide.

The county with lowest rate of hospital super-utilizers is Pike, with 6 per 10,000 residents, while Philadelphia had the most at 33.4.

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