What Does Days Per Thousand Mean?

Days per thousand is a phrase used in the medical industry. It references the use of an institutional or hospital service with respect to the number of days per 1,000 covered people. Hospitals across the United States are compared and ranked by their per thousand numbers.

Equation

• The equation for finding a days per thousand figure is: (Total Occurrences/Total Days) x 1,000. For example, if seven patients come in with your desired occurrence in 300 days, the equation would look like this: (7/300)x1,000. The desired occurrence is the institutional or hospital service you want to measure, such as incoming patients with breast cancer.

Frequency

• You don't need to have 1,000 days of statistics to get a figure using the equation. For example, to calculate the number of incoming patients with breast cancer, divide the number of patients by the number of days the study was conducted. The last step is to multiply the final number by 1,000.

Statistics

• A 2008 study measuring the total number of services used per thousand people was conducted by the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems. The study shows that the state with the highest number of inpatient days per thousand is New York, with 827.8. The study shows that for a thousand patients who seek a service at New York hospitals, a total of 827.8 days are used treating them. The state with the lowest is Wyoming with 344.7.