Do enhanced recovery after surgery programmes reduce length of hospital stay without increasing readmission rates?
Enhanced recovery programmes can reduce hospital length of stay without increasing readmissions, though cost savings depend on baseline local practices.
There is consistent, albeit limited, evidence that enhanced recovery programmes can reduce length of patient hospital stay without increasing readmission rates. The extent to which managers and clinicians considering implementing enhanced recovery programmes in UK settings can realise savings will depend on length of stay achieved under their existing care pathway.
Paton et al. (Tue,) studied this question.