CEP America analysts estimate the revenue generated to the hospital from an ED outpatient visit is roughly $500 per patient. Hospital EDs with an annual volume of 50,000 patients stand to lose $1 million in outpatient revenue for every 5.5 patients lost per day and $2 million in outpatient revenue for every 10.9 patients lost per day.
The lost revenue could stretch even further, as lost ED patients also means lost inpatient revenue. “At a 15 percent hospital admission rate from your ED and an inpatient collection rate average of $10,000 per hospitalization for your inpatients, the additional revenue garnered in this scenario approaches an additional $4 million,” the authors wrote.
Because lost revenue could stretch to $5 million or higher, CEP America recommended three strategies for hospitals to reduce their patients who “left without being seen”:
1. Decrease time to provider by running a staffing analysis.
2. Expand the ED virtually with triage and “fast track” lanes.
3. Focus on the patient experience.
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