Stays in U.S. hospitals hit an eight-year low in 2011, according to recent data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). HCUP's recently-released 2011 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) shows that there were an estimated 38.6 million hospital stays, a 1.1 percent decrease from 2010. 2011 marked the lowest estimated number of stays since 2003, when there were an estimated 38.2 million hospitalizations.

The Federal agency also found that:

• The average length of stay was 4.6 days, with an average cost of $10,050 per stay.
• The national bill for stays in 2011 was approximately $1.36 trillion.
• "Other aftercare" increased 15.6 percent from 2010, becoming the eighth most-common Clinical Classifications Software (CCS) diagnosis category in 2011. increased 15.6 percent from 2010, becoming the eighth most-common Clinical Classifications Software (CCS) diagnosis category in 2011.

The NIS is available for purchase from the HCUP Central Distributor, and select statistics are available on HCUPnet. For additional information about the NIS, visit the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS).