Episode 930: Holding Costs

Contributor: Aaron Lessen MD Educational Pearls: A study evaluated the patient-care impact and financial costs of holding patients in the ED, a nationwide issue Prospective, observational study of acute stroke management Conducted at a large urban, comprehensive stroke center The study evaluated patients in multiple categories:  admitted to med/surg admitted to med/surg but held in the ED admitted to the ICU Admitted to ICU but held in the ED Examined the amount of time nurses and providers spent with each patient This was analyzed in conjunction with the knowledge of each providers’ salaries and the overhead costs of the med/surg unit, ICU, and ED  Conclusions: Patients who required med/surg inpatient care but who were held in the ED resulted in a doubled daily cost $1856 for med/surg inpatient boarding vs $993 for med/surg inpatient care Patients who required ICU care but who were held in the ED also resulted in an increased daily cost, but this difference was not as large $2267 for ICU inpatient boarding vs $2165 for ICU care Holding in the ED negatively impacts patients since they receive less time from providers Holding also results in increased financial costs References Canellas MM, Jewell M, Edwards JL, Olivier D, Jun-O’Connell AH, Reznek MA. Measurement of Cost of Boarding in the Emergency Department Using Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing. Annals of emergency medicine. Published online May 1, 2024. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2024.04.012 Summarized by Meg Joyce, MS1 | Edited by Meg Joyce & Jorge Chalit, OMS3 Donate: https://emergencymedicalminute.org/donate/