Homelessness and hospital use
April 25, 2024 — This release explores the utility of ICD-10-CA code Z59.0 Homelessness to identify patients experiencing homelessness (PEH), as well as their characteristics and use of hospital services. It also includes contextual information from selected national data sources on homelessness.
Key findings
- Health system managers can use data about PEH to guide improvements in the delivery of health services for this marginalized population.
- Nearly 30,000 hospitalizations in Canada included code Z59.0 Homelessness in 2022–2023.
- The average cost of a hospitalization for a patient experiencing homelessness was more than double the cost of an average hospital stay in Canada ($16,785 versus $7,803).
- The most common reasons for hospitalization for PEH were substance use disorders (18%), schizophrenic disorders (11%) and cellulitis (7%).
- Admission via the emergency department was very common (93%) for PEH, suggesting inadequate access to primary care for addressing health care needs.
Featured materials
Hospital data sheds light on patients experiencing homelessness
Learn about the demographic and hospital use characteristics of patients experiencing homelessness.
Data tables
Access demographic and hospital use statistics (at the national level) about patients experiencing homelessness in Canada.
Related resources
- Better quality hospital data for identifying patients experiencing homelessness
- Health equity and population health
- De Prophetis E, et al. Trends in hospital coding for people experiencing homelessness in Canada, 2015–2020: a descriptive study. Canadian Medical Association Open Access Journal. December 2023.
- Hayes M. Code Z59.0: Diagnosing the toll of homelessness on health care. The Globe and Mail. January 14, 2023.
How to cite:
Canadian Institute for Health Information. Homelessness and hospital use. Accessed April 25, 2025.
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