Falls Facts
Get the facts behind falls and what you can do to help your patients, staff and organization.
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Falls are the most common and costly of all adverse events reported in hospitalsreduce fall risk
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Brain injuries and injuries to the hips, legs and feet are both the most fatal and costly of fall injuries accounting for 78% of fatalities and 79% of fall related costs
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Since 2008, CMS does not reimburse hospitals for injuries resulting from falls
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There are 11,000 fatal falls in US hospitals annually
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Fractures are the most common and costly of fall related injuries occurring in 33% of non fatal falls
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By the year 2020, it is estimated the annual direct and indirect costs of falls will be $47 billion annually
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For over a decade falls and their resulting injuries have been the most common adverse events reported in the adult hospital setting
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For the healthcare system at large, fall related injuries are projected to cost over $40 billion annually by the year 2020. This figure doesn’t account for the societal burden imposed by loss of workforce and increasing numbers of disabled individuals requiring government assistance and institutionalization.
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Because injurious falls create such a tremendous burden on individuals, the healthcare system and society, effective strategies for preventing injurious falls are needed.
There is a better way to assess and prevent falls.
The HD Falls Program is a proven method to prevent falls and falls related injuries across the continuum of care. We have the proven research and evidence-based clinical tools including:
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Scientifically Validated Fall Risk Assessment using the Hester Davis Scale© (HDS)
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Individualized, Evidence Based HD Falls Care Plan – integrated with HDS Fall Risk Assessment Tool© HDS is the only validated fall risk assessment tool in electronic format (EHR)
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HDS provides the highest sensitivity of any validated Fall Risk Scoring Tool (HDS 90/91% – Morse 73%)
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HDS is available within Epic’s EMR and has been integrated into Epic’s 2014 Foundation System
The HD Falls Program was developed and validated over four years at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock, AR. UAMS partnered with HD Nursing through it’s BioVentures Group to make the research and clinical tools available to industry to help save time, dollars and lives.
Unlike most hospital plans the HDS model creates an individualized patient fall risk profile and care plan targeting specific modifiable risk factors.
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Our easy-to-use assessment tools and care plans are specific enough to identify real-time changes in a patient’s condition allowing care plan interventions to be change based on the patient’s status.
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This can eliminate patient sitters or other costly measures resulting in more efficiency and a better experience for the patient.
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