A critical review of cost reduction in neonatal intensive care. II. Strategies for reduction.
Neonatal intensive care is extremely expensive; there is both a financial and an ethical obligation to practice efficiently. In the current era of intense cost containment in hospital care, neonatologists and hospital administrators are under pressure to find strategies for cost reduction for neonatal services. In this review, we address reducing discretionary admissions, the high costs of low-cost testing, minimizing use of selected high-cost technologies (ventilators and parenteral nutrition), shortening length of stay, and optimizing nursing allocation.
Richardson
D K
DK
Department of Neonatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02215, USA.
Zupancic
J A
JA
Escobar
G J
GJ
Ogino
M
M
Pursley
D M
DM
Mugford
M
M
D003363:Cost Control / Q000379:methods*; D017721:Hospital Costs; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal / Q000191:economics*; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal / Q000191:economics*; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000191:economics; D010288:Parenteral Nutrition / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013675:Technology, High-Cost / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000078329:Workforce