Inefficient communication costs average U.S. hospital $1.75M

Inefficient communication during patient admissions, emergency response team coordination and patient transfers costs the average U.S. hospital about $1.75 million annually, according to a report from Ponemon Institute and Imprivata.

The authors surveyed 400 healthcare providers who revealed that a significant amount of time is squandered during critical clinical workflows, primarily due to the inefficiency of pagers and the failure of hospitals to adopt secure texting messaging. Adoption of secure text messaging would reclaim more than half of the lost time, according to the report.

“The research reveals that providers believe there are more effective methods of communication that can improve patient care and reduce costs,” said Larry Ponemon, MD, chairman and founder of the Ponemon Institute, in a statement.