Cost Impact

VA costs of treating the almost 3,500 unique Veterans with SCI and a severe ulcer at an SCI Center in FY10 was just under $400 million Read Full Article

This 2020 national hospital database study concluded that each hospital-acquired pressure injury added about $21,767 in hospital cost per patient versus no pressure injury, equal to about $30,333 in 2026 dollars. Read Full Article

Overall, the annual prevalence of pressure injuries and annual mean hospitalization cost increased ($69,499.29 to $102,939.14). Read Full Article

AHRQ HCUP data show pressure-ulcer–related adult hospitalizations carried materially higher utilization and cost: mean stay 12.7–14.1 days vs 5.0 days without pressure ulcers, and mean cost per stay $16,800–$20,400 vs $9,900. Over half were discharged to long-term care, and mortality was higher. Read Full Article

This University of Alabama at Birmingham hospital study found that developing a hospital-acquired Stage II+ pressure ulcer was associated with substantially higher hospital costs and longer stays. Mean unadjusted costs were $37,288 vs $13,924 and LOS 30.4 vs 12.8 days. Even after adjustment, costs and LOS remained significantly higher. Read Full Article

This Hopkins burn ICU study found that implementing real-time pressure mapping reduced HAPI-related care costs from about $6,750 to $3,800 per patient. These savings reflect direct pressure-injury treatment costs only (e.g., wound care), not systemic complications or extended hospitalization, and were driven by fewer and less severe pressure injuries Read Full Article

This study from NYU School of Medicine found Stage IV pressure ulcers cost about $125k–$129k per patient in hospital treatment costs when ulcer-related complications were included. These costs are far higher than prior estimates and emphasize early recognition and treatment to stop progression to Stage IV and avoid extreme, non-reimbursed “never event” costs. Read Full Article

"In a VA study of veterans with spinal cord injury, the presence of a pressure injury increased average health care costs by $77,587 compared to those without, driven by higher inpatient costs, emphasizing the need for prevention." Read Full Article

This peer-reviewed BMJ Quality & Safety cost-effectiveness study analyzed 34,000+ hospital patients and quantified the financial impact of severe pressure injuries. It reported that Stage 3–4 (full-thickness) pressure injuries add about $6,209 per patient-day, underscoring the high daily cost burden and the value of effective, hospital-wide prevention. Read Full Article

At St. Anthony’s Medical Center, Continuous Bedside Pressure Mapping enabled use of lower-cost support surfaces, reducing reliance on specialty rentals and delivering net savings of $19 per patient per day after including the cost of the visualization system itself. Read Full Article