Inpatient care intensity and patients' ratings of their hospital experiences.

The intensity of hospital care provided to chronically ill Medicare patients varies greatly among regions, independent of illness. We examined the associations among hospital care intensity, the technical quality of hospital care, and patients' ratings of their hospital experiences. Greater inpatient care intensity was associated with lower quality scores and lower patient ratings; lower quality scores were associated with lower patient ratings. The common thread linking greater care intensity with lower quality and less favorable patient experiences may be poorly coordinated care.