This prospective series from a Level 1 trauma center evaluates the financial consequences of the Early Appropriate Care (EAC) protocol — which targets definitive fixation of femur, pelvis, and spine fractures within 36 hours in physiologically optimized patients — in 253 consecutive multiply-injured adults. The study asks whether protocol adherence translates into measurable revenue benefit for the hospital, not just clinical benefit for the patient.
When your multiply-injured patient has met EAC resuscitation criteria (lactate <4.0, pH ≥7.25, or base excess ≥−5.5), delaying definitive fixation past 36 hours for scheduling convenience doubles complication risk, extends ICU stay by five days, and costs the hospital roughly $6,400 per case — the clinical and financial case for early fixation are the same argument.
This prospective series from a Level 1 trauma center evaluates the financial consequences of the Early Appropriate Care (EAC) protocol — which targets definitive fixation of femur, pelvis, and spine fractures within 36 hours in physiologically optimized patients — in 253 consecutive multiply-injured adults. The study asks whether protocol adherence translates into measurable revenue benefit for the hospital, not just clinical benefit for the patient.
When your multiply-injured patient has met EAC resuscitation criteria (lactate <4.0, pH ≥7.25, or base excess ≥−5.5), delaying definitive fixation past 36 hours for scheduling convenience doubles complication risk, extends ICU stay by five days, and costs the hospital roughly $6,400 per case — the clinical and financial case for early fixation are the same argument.