Moving admitted patients out of ED increases profits
$174 addional profit per day from ED admits
Moving admitted patients out of the ED and into inpatient beds reduces overcrowding more than adding beds to the department does, and -- in one hospital at least -- brings in more profits, according to two studies published online in advance of the October 2008 issue of Annals of Emergency Medicine.1-2
In one study, researchers created a computer simulation model that assessed four scenarios:
- a 23-bed ED with one admitted patient departing every 20 minutes;
- a 23-bed ED with one admitted patient departing every 15 minutes;
- a 28-bed ED with one admitted patient departing every 20 minutes;
- a 28-bed ED with one patient departing every 15 minutes.1
Increasing the number of beds without increasing the rate at which patients left the ED resulted in an increased length of stay of seven minutes per patient, while increasing the departure rate resulted in a decreased length of stay of 22 minutes per patient.
In the second study, assessing all admissions to one hospital for a three-year period, researchers found that patients admitted to the hospital from the ED netted a median profit of $769 per day versus $595 per day for non-ED admissions.2
References
- Khare RK, Powell ES, Reinhardt G, et al. Adding more beds to the emergency department or reducing admitted patient boarding times: Which has a more significant influence on emergency department congestion? Annals Emerg Med 2008. DOI: 10.1016/ j.annemergmed.2008.07.009.
- Henneman PL, Lemanski M, Smithline HA, et al. Emergency department admissions are more profitable than non-emergency department admissions. Annals Emerg Med 2008. DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed. 2008.07.016.