ACCELERATED SURGICAL STAY PROGRAMS - A MECHANISM TO REDUCE HEALTH-CARE COSTS

Objective To increase cost-efficiency while maintaining the standard o f medical care, an accelerated surgical stay program for patients havi ng breast surgery was instituted. Summary Background Data In the past 20 years, annual health care costs have soared and now comprise 12.2% of the United States gross national product. The annual inflation rate of almost 11% has prompted third-party payers to scrutinize hospital costs as hospitals now consume 38% of health care costs. Methods A mul tidisciplinary task force was formed to analyze and reduce lengths of stay for breast surgeries and to standardize clinical protocols to add ress ensuing issues. Results After 1 year, this prospective study foun d a 39% decrease in average length of stay and a 22% increase in patie nt volume. This was also accompanied by a low incidence of surgical co mplications. Through information obtained from 373 consecutive patient s through telephone surveys and questionnaires, the Center for Cost-Ef fective Care reported high patient acceptance and satisfaction. Conclu sions As a management strategy, accelerated surgical stay programs inc rease operating efficiency and reduce medical care costs without compr omising quality of patient care. Success of this program was attribute d to support from senior management, expansion of available educationa l resources for patients, and to a carefully planned transition from t he program's developmental to its operational phase.