To understand the disease composition and hospitalization expenses of elderly inpatients in Chongqing, and provide basis for local policy formulation.

The data of 8 586 023 elderly inpatients who can identify the disease code (ICD-10 standard) from 2017 to 2020 were screened and extracted from the front page of medical records of Chongqing health statistics decision support system. The disease composition and hospitalization expenses were counted according to the disease code. Each individual expenses was analyzed by grey correlation degree, and the relationship between average length of stay and average hospitalization expenses was analyzed by Spearman rank correlation.

From 2017 to 2020, the hospitalized patients over 60 years old accounted for 42.5% of the hospitalized patients in the city. During the four-year period, the first three kinds of diseases were circulatory system diseases, respiratory system diseases and digestive system diseases, and the average hospitalization expenses increased year by year. The grey correlation degree of individual expenses from high to low was medicine expenses, treatment expenses, laboratory expenses, health materials expenses, examination expenses, operation expenses and nursing expenses. The average length of stay was positively correlated with average hospitalization expenses (Z=0.152, P < 0.01).

the main cause of hospitalization of the elderly in Chongqing is chronic diseases. The average hospitalization expenses is still not low, and the clinical diagnosis and treatment plan needs to be more reasonable in order to effectively reduce the medical burden of patients.