Hospital admissions can be significantly reduced when using coronary computed tomographic angiography to evaluate patients in the emergency department with acute chest pain, according to research conducted by Michael Poon, MD, professor of radiology and medicine at Stony Brook (N.Y.) University School of Medicine.
CCTA, which is a noninvasive heart imaging test, drove down unnecessary hospital admissions by 30 percent and achieved savings of approximately $1.3 million at Stony Brook University Medical Center. Dr. Poon also points out that with use of CCTA in the ED, physicians could evaluate more patients with ACP and streamline the care of this group of patients much more efficiently.
"Our clinical study results showed that we could safely discharge low-to-intermediate risk patients with acute chest pain from the ED following a negative CCTA without any adverse outcome for six months following the ED visit," Dr. Poon said. "Additionally, we are able to identify those patients with early coronary artery disease and recommend early medical intervention with the assistance of their primary care physicians."
Read the hospital news release about Dr. Michael Poon's research findings on CCTA.
Read other coverage about hospital quality:
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CCTA, which is a noninvasive heart imaging test, drove down unnecessary hospital admissions by 30 percent and achieved savings of approximately $1.3 million at Stony Brook University Medical Center. Dr. Poon also points out that with use of CCTA in the ED, physicians could evaluate more patients with ACP and streamline the care of this group of patients much more efficiently.
"Our clinical study results showed that we could safely discharge low-to-intermediate risk patients with acute chest pain from the ED following a negative CCTA without any adverse outcome for six months following the ED visit," Dr. Poon said. "Additionally, we are able to identify those patients with early coronary artery disease and recommend early medical intervention with the assistance of their primary care physicians."
Read the hospital news release about Dr. Michael Poon's research findings on CCTA.
Read other coverage about hospital quality:
- Consumer Access to Hospital Data Places High Expectations on Facilities
- Ohio Hospitals Make Strides in Patient Safety, Reducing CLABSIs
- Diabetes a Risk Factor for Recurring C. Diff Infections in Hospitals