Poison centers provide free, around-the-clock guidance during poisoning emergencies, yet their impact on the broader health care system has been difficult to measure. A new study from CP3 faculty member Kangho Suh, PharmD, PhD, and Amanda Korenoski, PharmD, Director of the Pittsburgh Poison Center and Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, helps address that gap. The work was featured by Pitt Health Sciences.
Drawing on National Poison Data System records from the center’s 44-county service region, along with a survey of 400 callers about what they would have done without access to a poison center, the team built a model comparing real-world outcomes with a scenario in which the center did not exist. They estimated that every dollar spent operating the Pittsburgh Poison Center equates to nearly $12 in avoided health care costs, for a net annual cost avoidance of nearly $35 million.
The findings come as the center works to modernize its services, including text and chat options, and as poison centers nationwide face funding challenges. Dr. Korenoski notes that the cost avoidance figure offers objective data to support expanding the center’s capacity.