Treatment should be sought immediately in order to avoid hospitalization.

Even patients lucky enough to avoid hospitalization were charged about $1,800.

The results: Patients given low-molecular-weight heparin largely avoided hospitalization and did just as well.

Avoiding hospitalization can result in cost savings to the party responsible for paying for the patient's health care.

Carrot Cheaper Than Stick They are expected to save the government millions of dollars by helping patients avoid hospitalization.

Many large employers are also offering voluntary "disease management" or "health promotion" programs to contain costs by helping employees with chronic conditions to avoid complications and hospitalization.

Dr. Degenholtz said he suspected that the findings meant that the best way to avoid unwanted care was "through avoiding hospitalization, rather than directing treatment of people in the hospital."

They avoid hospitalization and surgery, and keep people out of nursing homes.

Adequate early treatment, usually as an outpatient, means many people with schizophrenia might avoid most hospitalization and be able to stay in school, college, or jobs, as diabetics commonly do.

"We have a way for people to avoid unnecessary doctor's visits, to avoid unnecessary antibiotics, and to avoid hospitalization."