How the Facility Benefits

The Costs Savings Are Clear: The Net Result

One study showed annual cost savings of $98,600 using PNBs for ACL cases, and extrapolated an estimated $1.2 million for the facility’s 3000 outpatient cases from bypassing PACU and reducing same day admissions and readmissions.⁴

By advocating for the patient and reducing adverse events through Regional Anesthesia, the facility can also benefit. A well implemented RA program can relieve the physical pain of patients and ease the fiscal pain of institutions looking to improve profitability and revenue generation.

Improve patient satisfaction and HCAHPS scores
Wu et al⁴⁰ reviewed 18 separate trials that compared patient satisfaction and analgesia with RA techniques versus those associated with GAVA and systemic narcotics. The application of RA techniques resulted in significantly better measures of patient satisfaction than those seen in the GAVA group. Finally, Klein et al⁵⁴ evaluated the satisfaction levels of 1791 patients who received PNBs for outpatient surgeries. Nearly all (98%) of those patients stated they would choose the same anesthetic again. Improved patient satisfaction scores positively impact HCAHPS scores and facility marketability.

Reduce OR turnover and anesthesia control time
Williams was able to show a reduction of 9 minutes of anesthesia control time in the OR when comparing RA to GA. This time saving may help reduce staff costs due to less forced overtime.⁴ An efficient OR decreases non-surgical time to maximize the efficiency and number of cases.

Reduce/eliminate PACU time and costs
Hadzic et al evaluated the ability of patients who received RA versus GAVA to bypass PACU phase 1 after both hand and knee surgeries. In both studies, the RA group was 3 times more likely to bypass PACU phase 1.^24,55 Williams was able to reduce hospital costs by 12% or $420 per patient through PACU bypass for ACL repair using RA.⁴ Reducing PACU time and costs can significantly boost profitability.

Reduce overall LOS
Reducing length of stay has far-reaching implications for both patient and provider. On the inpatient side, Horlocker et al were able to reduce LOS by 46% in total knee and hip arthroplasty patients by employing RA techniques as part of a multimodal analgesic protocol. 7. A Frost and Sullivan survey of hospital professionals indicates that hospitals incur a cost of approximately $1,675 per day for a surgical inpatient.¹

Reduce unplanned hospital admissions and readmissions
In Williams’ study of ACL repair, the use of GAVA predicted a hospital admission rate of 17% versus only 4% for RA without GAVA. Avoidance of each hospital admission was associated with an 11% cost reduction, or $385 per patient.⁴ Reducing unplanned events helps minimize unnecessary costs and improves the bottom line.