News Release

Hospital observation units could save the health care system $3.1 billion

New research suggests that maximizing the potential of observation units in hospitals could result in significant cost savings for the both the hospital and the healthcare system

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Boston, MA – Previous research has shown that observation units in a hospital can be an efficient way to care for certain patients, but only about one-third of hospitals in the United States have such units. Now, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) estimate that maximizing the potential of an observation unit in a hospital could result in $4.6 million in savings annually for the hospital and $3.1 billion in overall savings for the health care system in the United States. These findings are published online by Health Affairs and will also appear in the journal's October issue.

"We believe that this is the first attempt to quantify the financial impact of an observation unit," said Christopher Baugh, MD, lead researcher on the paper and a physician in the Emergency Department at BWH. "Wider use of observation units may play a significant role in saving cost for the health care system and future policies that are focused on doing so should include support for observation units as an alternative tin short-stay inpatient admission," Dr. Baugh said.

An observation until, a dedicated space typically near or within the emergency department, is an alternative to inpatient admission and is dedicated to caring for patients, usually for a 24-hour period, who have been discharged from the emergency department (ED) but require further observation and are not ready to safely leave the hospital. Previous research has shown that care in these units is equal or better in quality compared to inpatient care for certain patient populations.

Researchers used national survey data and published research to determine the average cost saving per observation unit and the number of hospitals that would benefit from an observation unit. They created a simulation model by using a method frequently used to evaluate risk in business when there are many uncertain variables.

Based on their model, researchers report that the average amount saved per patient, after adjusting for inflation could be $1,572 per visit to the observation unit when compared to an inpatient admission. Overall, the national cost savings could be up to $3.1 billion annually if the potential of observation units were maximized. This savings is due largely to avoiding 2.4 million inpatient admissions. Additionally, researchers report that for hospitals with large enough volume to justify the operation of an observation unit, the annual cost saving for that hospital would be $4.6 million, resulting from approximately 3,600 inpatient admissions avoided. Hospitals that would fit into this category include all those with more than 50,000 annual ED visits and many hospitals with 20,000-50,000 annual ED visits.

"In the wake of health care reform and increased scrutiny on the cost of health care, the health care system is under pressure to maintain quality care while decreasing cost. Observation units represent a feasible way to achieve this goal and merit further evaluation as model for acute care redesign to increase the value of care provided throughout the country," Dr. Baugh said.

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Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) is a 793-bed nonprofit teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a founding member of Partners HealthCare. BWH has more than 3.5 million annual patient visits, is the largest birthing center in New England and employs more than 15,000 people. The Brigham's medical preeminence dates back to 1832, and today that rich history in clinical care is coupled with its national leadership in patient care, quality improvement and patient safety initiatives, and its dedication to research, innovation, community engagement and educating and training the next generation of health care professionals. Through investigation and discovery conducted at its Biomedical Research Institute (BRI), BWH is an international leader in basic, clinical and translational research on human diseases, involving nearly 1,000 physician-investigators and renowned biomedical scientists and faculty supported by nearly $625 million in funding. BWH continually pushes the boundaries of medicine, including building on its legacy in organ transplantation by performing the first face transplants in the U.S. in 2011. BWH is also home to major landmark epidemiologic population studies, including the Nurses' and Physicians' Health Studies, OurGenes and the Women's Health Initiative. For more information and resources, please visit BWH's online newsroom.


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