Self Helping Cuts Hospital Costs In Winston-Salem Plan
North Carolina Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem has run a self help program for three years, letting ambulatory patients wash, feed themselves, and use X rays on their own. The Progressive Care Center saves patients about 500000 over three years and reduces staff needs, lowering room costs from 30-40 to about 9 a day. The unit serves 80 patients at once, cost 800000, and has drawn patients from 27 states and two countries. Patients value the reduced financial burden and the ability to participate in their own care.