Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions



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CURRENT ISSUE BACK ISSUES SUBSCRIBE ADVERTISE ABOUT JCEHP FOR AUTHORS JCEHP AWARD SEARCH (Members only) FULL-TEXT		Volume 24 (1) Volume 24, Issue 1, Winter 2004 J Contin Educ Health Prof 2004; 24(1):12-19 ORIGINAL ARTICLES Estimation of unreimbursed patient education costs at a large group practice Arthur R. Williams, PhD John C. McDougall, MD Sandra K. Bruggerman, BS Patricia J. Erwin, MLS Margo E. Kroshus, BSN James M. Naessens, MPH A b s t r a c t Introduction: A search of the literature on the cost of patient education found that provider education time per patient per day was rarely reported and usually not derivable from published reports. Costs of continuing education needed by health professionals to support patient education also were not given. Without this information, it is difficult to appraise the costs of existing or newly proposed patient education activities and technologies. Methods: An extensive literature search was conducted. Clinic and hospital personnel at a large group practice were surveyed to obtain per patient per day estimates for comparison with the literature. Results: Although the literature now spans several disciplines, few useful empiric studies exist. In the group practice, 18.6 minutes per patient per day were spent on patient education. Unreimbursed cost of patient education by nurses alone was $28,258,478 to $48,710,368 annually. These costs do not include costs of continuing education to maintain and upgrade patient education. Discussion: The cost figures reported above are consistent with the limited information in the literature. The present study suggests that patient education costs are substantial, and more attention needs to be given to the costs of continuing education intended to improve patient education. Lessons for Practice The costs of patient education should include provider education time per patient day. Staff nurses who are not directly reimbursed for patient education can spend 12 to 19 minutes per patient per day engaged in patient education. At a large institution, these unreimbursed costs can be many millions of dollars. Multidisciplinary interest in the costs of patient education is evident, but more empiric studies of costs need to be reported. MeSH Terms: Costs and Cost Analysis; Education, Nursing, Continuing; Group Practice; Patient Education; Time Factors
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