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These sources are
usually provided for defined populations (i.e., cities, states, political
entities). Morbidity data have usually been hospital and clinic data, which
means the populations of reference may not be easy to define. Changes in
health care delivery will have an impact on hospital and clinic data. In the
U.S., the trend has been to hospitalize only the most sickest, and then for
the shortest length of time. For example, “length of stay” may no longer be
truly reflective of “severity of illness.”
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