When I interviewed Dr. Frank Overdyk for a clinical education podcast, “Preventing Avoidable Deaths” I asked myself this question, “Is a Patient’s Life Worth $30 per Day?”
Frank Overdyk, MD is an anesthesiologist practicing in Charleston, SC. He organized two conferences on opioid-induced respiratory depression for the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation. Dr. Overdyk also is a member of the advisory board for the Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety.
During the podcast, Dr. Overdyk said that the costs of monitoring patients was between $20 to #30 dollars per day:
“there are estimates that the daily cost of continuous monitoring of a patient for example with a pulse oximetry is on the order of 20 or 30 dollars a day. This does not include the cost implications of staff workflow and some of these other softer costs – indirect costs.”
So, what do you think your life or the life of a loved is worth?
To read the full article, please go to Healthcare Business Today.