Previously conducted studies show that the one-year mortality rate for hip fracture patients increases significantly if the time from hospital admission to surgery exceeds 48 hours.
In the first case from the Hospital for Special Surgery, researchers found that speeding up the preoperative evaluation to ensure necessary diagnostic tests and medical evaluations can be conducted at any hour. This strategy had a cost-effectiveness ratio of $2,318 per quality-adjusted life year and a cost-saving if 93 percent or more patients underwent expedited surgery.
The second strategy added an on-call team available to perform surgery outside of regular hours. It had an incremental cost-effectiveness ration of $43,153 per QALY.
Read the release about expediting surgery for patients with hip fractures.
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