While the health department does not formally penalize hospitals for failing to meet the benchmark, the authors question the necessity of the two-hour rule. Instead, co-author Thomas Esposito, MD, MPH, of Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine said the two-hour rule should be abandoned, allowing physicians to determine when a transfer is needed.
The study examined data on 22,000 transfers at Loyola and Northwestern University facilities between 1999 and 2003.
Read the Naperville Sun report on patient transfers.
Read more coverage on patient transfers:
– Study Finds Patient Transfers Could be Reduced, Resulting in Cost Savings
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