One in two short-term hospital stays take place less than 20 minutes from home

One out of six persons living in France was admitted to hospital for a short stay in 2010. One-half of patients were admitted less than 20 minutes from home. Access times are shorter for the most common procedures such as orthopaedic surgery, digestive endoscopies, and child deliveries. The times can differ from one “healthcare district” to another, according to the size, number and diversity of local hospitals. Some regions, more often than others, admit patients residing outside their boundaries. Reciprocally, the share of patients hospitalized outside their district of residence varies from one geographic area to another. By cross-tabulating these two dimensions, we can identify four healthcare-district profiles.