Adding an eICU program to a hospital ICU is challenging in numerous ways. It requires an overhaul of current technology, ICU processes, and sometimes, the entire hospital’s operational practices. But once it’s in place, eICU companies deliver on their promises of improved patient outcomes and relief from staffing challenges. These are both reasons to consider an eICU program, but if you need one more, here it is: an eICU will save the hospital money.
Decreased Length of Stays
One of the biggest expenses in the ICU is monitoring patients for long stays. There is a point in every patient’s visit that tips from profitable to unprofitable and the goal is to stay on the right side of that tipping point. Not only does this benefit the hospital in terms of profitability, but it also benefits the patient because they get well enough to leave the hospital more quickly.
EICU technology has shown to reduce the average length of stay for ICU patients because the monitoring is better and ICU in-person staff members are able to address patient needs as they arise instead of waiting until they can consult with an ICU physician. Small delays in getting treatment for a patient can really add up and result in longer stays. With remote ICU monitoring, patients are getting out of critical care faster, which means profitability margins are increasing.
Increased Patient Volume
Along with reducing patient stays, eICU programs are increasing patient volume as well. This makes sense because an ICU only has a specific number of beds, so the more often they can be “turned,” the more revenue a hospital can take in from each additional patient. Of course, turning over ICU beds is not just in the best interest of the hospital. It’s also in the best interest of the patients because if they’re well enough to leave ICU, they are on their way to getting fully better.
With the shortage of ICU beds during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, turnover has been more critical than ever. You don’t want to turn away patients, but if you don’t have the room, there’s not much you can do about it. But, if you have a tele ICU program in place, these patients probably won’t have to wait as long for a bed as they would with a hospital that doesn’t have an eICU program at all.
Decreased Staffing Costs
Over time, an eICU can lower a hospital’s staffing costs by allowing them to not have full-time ICU doctors on staff at all times of the day and night. They can access the expertise of ICU intensivists through the remote portal whenever they need it and not have to pay overtime or night-shift wages to an in-person ICU doctor who may not even be needed.
This cost-saving feature of eICUs gives smaller and rural hospitals an even playing field because they can recruit ICU intensivists to their ICUs by promising them they won’t have to work nights or weekends. The other good news is that these hospitals aren’t sacrificing patient care to get these doctors in the doors. In fact, there is evidence that eICUs actually improve patient care.
Conclusion
Even if eICUs didn’t offer better patient outcomes and relieve staffing shortages, the money that you can save as a hospital should be more than enough to get you to consider implementing tele ICU technology in your ICU. But, because it does offer those other benefits as well, an eICU program should be a no brainer!