Impact of Chest Pain Protocol Targeting Intermediate Cardiac Risk Patients in an Observation Unit of an Academic Tertiary Care Center

摘要

BackgroundChest pain (CP) is a frequent cause of emergency room visits in United States and adds a huge financial burden to our healthcare cost. With the addition of observation units, standard CP protocols have shown to decrease length of stay (LOS) and cost per discharge (CPD). We report our experience with the development and implementation of “CP protocol for intermediate cardiac risk patients” and its impact on healthcare resource utilization at our medical center.