Significant projected savings with expansion of an emergency department observation protocol for mild acute pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND

Acute pancreatitis (AP) significantly contributes to healthcare costs, but not all patients require hospitalization. A novel, validated Emergency Department (ED) pathway for mild AP (MAP) at our tertiary care center reduced hospitalizations and resource utilization, without affecting outcomes.

METHODS

A decision-analytic model was constructed using the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) checklist and methodologic recommendations by the Second Panel on Cost-Effectiveness in Health and Medicine to predict healthcare costs based on whether an ED discharge protocol for MAP was utilized.

RESULTS

Average savings for one MAP discharged from the ED were $1720.5 compared to the standard of care hospitalization. Assuming that 67.7 % of cases are mild and that there are 288,820 hospitalizations for AP annually, the ED discharge pathway would result in $98.6 million direct healthcare savings.

CONCLUSIONS

Implementation of an evidence-based, protocoled ED pathway for MAP could result in over $100 million in direct healthcare savings.