137 - Cost analysis of chest-x-rays: A strategy for cost reduction at an inpatient rehabilitation facility

Objectives: To demonstrate a means to reduce the costs of x-rays at a freestanding inpatient rehabilitation facility

Design: A cost-benefit analysis was used as the research design for this study to comprehensively evaluate the financial advantages of using hospital resources versus using portable resources. This research design allowed us to meticulously assess the financial investments required for chest-x-rays which included the cost of transportation and time away from the rehabilitation hospital. In the pursuit of efficient resource allocation and informed decision-making, this research design offers a systematic framework to quantitatively assess the balance between the costs incurred and the benefits accrued.

Results: Outsourcing x-rays from external providers yielded a cost reduction of more than 50%. Simultaneously, using portable resources reduces patient transportation time by approximately 30 minutes.

Conclusions: Using portable resources newly enhanced by the pandemic, we were able to identify a means to significantly reduce the cost of x-rays, and the time away from the rehabilitation hospital. We will use this formula to consider other services that might reduce the cost and improve the quality of care for our patients.