JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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JAMA
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Costs of an emergency department-based accelerated diagnostic protocol vs hospitalization in patients with chest pain: a randomized controlled trial.
More than 3 million patients are hospitalized yearly in the United States for chest pain. The cost is over $3 billion just for those found to be free of acute disease. New rapid diagnostic tests for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have resulted in the proliferation of accelerated diagnostic protocols (ADPs) and chest pain observation units. ⋯ In this trial, ADP saved $567 in total hospital costs per patient treated. Use of ED-based ADPs can reduce hospitalization rates, LOS, and total cost for low-risk patients with chest pain needing evaluation for possible AMI or ACI.