Hospital nutrition care informs potential cost-savings for healthcare: A budget impact analysis

Background and aimIn Mexico, about half of hospitalized patients are malnourished or at risk malnutrition upon hospital admission, while many others experience deterioration their nutritional status in the hospital. Such often poor health outcomes have increased costs. The aim our budget-impact analysis was to estimate potential savings associated with implementation a Mexican hospital-based program nutrition care for malnourished.MethodsThe model based on data published previously. Our compared assigned receive individualized early therapy (initiated within 24–48 h admission) those who received standard delayed (not initiated early). Outcomes included length stay, infectious complications, 30-day readmissions. We modeled time-horizon, estimated event probabilities basis data, projected costs 2020 US dollars.ResultsAverage total healthcare over 30-days were $3527 vs $6032 therapy—a $2505 per nutrition-treated patient (41.5% lower). Cost differences between groups $2336 $3065 hospital-associated (23.8% lower), $262 $780 readmissions (66.4% lower) $1348 malnutrition-associated infections. Applying these from one-year 3.22 million its risk, overall public expenditures equivalent $8.1 billion year 32.1% expenditures.ConclusionsThe results demonstrated programs reduce hospitalizations. These notable findings provide rationale institutions implement comprehensive nutrition-focused inpatients risk. To this end, we advise professional education training order increase awareness patients’ needs better prepare clinical personnel identify, treat, monitor at-risk/malnourished. In malnourished. dollars. Average expenditures.