New nationwide report quantifies value of poison centers
PHOENIX - A recent nationwide report finds that the 57 poison centers in the United States save citizens more than $1.8 billion annually in medical costs. Examination of additional data collected in Arizona shows that the state's two centers save residents of the Grand Canyon State nearly $45.5 million every year.
"Calls to poison centers keep the vast majority of people out of the hospital and decrease the length of stays for patients who are admitted," said Dr. Steven Curry, medical toxicologist at the Banner Good Samaritan Poison and Drug Information Center in Phoenix. "The role poison centers quietly play in the U.S. health system often goes unrecognized, but the savings to individuals, insurers and government is truly significant, and helps keep total healthcare costs down."
Earlier this year, the American Association of Poison Control Centers commissioned The Lewin Group to determine the value of the poison center network as a whole. For its report issued in September 2012, The Lewin Group based calculations mainly on costs that were avoided because callers received medical advice that prevented visits to emergency rooms and other providers. Also included in the calculations were shorter hospitalizations enabled by medical staff consulting with poison center toxicology experts and callers' reduced time away from work.
The separate 2011 data for Arizona indicates the savings to AHCCCS, the state's Medicaid system, were more than $9 million. About 20 percent of the Arizona patients whose toxic exposures are managed at home by a call to the poison center are enrolled in AHCCCS. Savings to private insurers in Arizona during 2011 exceeded $28 million.
"The life-saving work poison centers do is more important than ever," said Dr. Mazda Shirazi, medical director at the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center, part of the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy in Tucson.
"Did you know that deaths from accidental overdoses now exceed deaths from car accidents?" he continued. "It's easy to see the vital role performed by a hotline that provides expert medical advice about medications and toxic exposures around the clock. But we think the citizens we serve should also realize that we are not only saving lives, but also saving millions of dollars a year for them and the companies and agencies that cover the cost of their care."
About the poison centers
The Banner Good Samaritan Poison and Drug Information Center in Phoenix and the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center in Tucson are just a phone call away. Each can be reached at 1-800-222-1222, the national poison information number. The centers provide free, 24-hour emergency telephone service for both residents and medical professionals throughout Arizona, with the Banner center serving Maricopa County and the Tucson center taking calls from all other counties in the state. The Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center is a unit of the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy. For more information, visit www.BannerHealth.com/poisoncenter and/or www.pharmacy.arizona.edu/poisoncenter.
About the national report
The American Association of Poison Control Centers supports the nation's 57 poison centers in their efforts to prevent and treat poison exposures and maintains the national poison data system. The AAPCC commissioned The Lewin Group, a healthcare and human services policy, research and consulting company, to determine the value of the poison center system as a whole. The findings are detailed in the Final Report on the Value of the Poison Center System (The Lewin Group Inc., September 2012).
Nov. 28, 2012
Contact: Ginny Geib, University of Arizona College of Pharmacy ‚ 626-3389