HOSPITAL OBSERVATION UNITS COULD SAVE BILLIONS IN HEALTH COSTS, STUDY SAYS

Wider use of hospital observation units could save the U.S. health care system billions of dollars a year, a new study indicates.

An observation unit is a space near or within the emergency department that provides an alternative to inpatient admission. The unit cares for patients, usually for a 24-hour period, who have been discharged from the emergency department but need further observation and aren’t ready to safely leave the hospital.

Source: HealthDay News, September 27, 2012.