St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center of Paterson, New Jersey decided to simplify vascular access using point-of-care ultrasound. The result? A drastic improvement in the access process for the most vulnerable patients and an unexpected savings for the not-for-profit medical system.
St. Joseph’s first introduced their ultrasound-guided vascular access program to improve patient experience, especially for critically ill and pediatric patients. Choosing PIV over PICC saves both time and money for St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center.1
Making PIV insertion simpler and less painful was a major step for improving patient care, especially for patients who have challenging vasculature.
“It takes roughly 40-45 minutes at the bedside to do a PICC line,” says Matt Ostroff, head of the Vascular Access Program. “When we’re able to substitute an ultrasound-guided peripheral [IV], it’s a 5-10 minute procedure. We’ve essentially changed the entire landscape of IV insertion.”
Improving the patient experience was the main goal, but an unexpected benefit has come in the form of millions of dollars saved in equipment costs.
Since the launch of the Vascular Access program in February 2014, St. Joseph’s has seen a remarkable cost-savings of nearly $3.5 million.2
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1 Passion for patient care revolutionizes vascular access at St. Joseph's Healthcare System. NJ.com. http://blog.nj.com/st_josephs_regional_medical_center/2016/06/passion_for_patient_care_revol.html. Published June 10, 2016. Accessed February 20, 2019.
2 Ultrasound-guided vascular access program saves St. Joseph’s $3.5 million
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/ultrasound-guided-vascular-access-program-saves-st-joseph-s-3-5-million.html.Accessed April 1, 2019.
