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The Business of Health Care Report
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In the case of one Texas Health Resources hospital, the old adage is proving to be true. Many parents were bringing their children to the emergency room at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas for fever-related illnesses that could typically be handled at home. In response, hospital personnel developed a tool kit containing a digital thermometer, an oral syringe and the instructions for use to treat fever-related illnesses. Hospital personnel gave counseling in English and Spanish as they distributed the tool kits. Within three months, the return rate of parents and children with fever-related illness dropped by 50 percent. The parents were pleased with the kits and the instructions about treating fever from home. The tool kit cost the hospital about $2. An average emergency room visit for these fever-related complaints can range from $200 to $300. In addition, it affords the emergency staff the opportunity to talk with the parents about other clinics in the area where they can receive low-cost preventive care for their families and to establish a relationship with a physician for routine care. We must strategically improve health care where it’s needed most, and nonprofit hospitals are leading the way. Let them exercise an ounce of prevention and watch community health flourish. For Texas Health Resources and its faith-based hospitals – Harris Methodist, Presbyterian and Arlington Memorial – I’m
Doug Hawthorne.
©
2005 Texas Health Resources |
I'm Doug Hawthorne, President and CEO of Texas Health Resources, with
"The Business of Health Care Report."