Value-based assessment of implementing a Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT)

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Healthcare Management
• Cardiology

Background:

• Pulmonary Embolism Response Teams (PERTs) represent a novel, multidisciplinary strategy for managing pulmonary embolism (PE).
• PERTs aim to optimize patient identification, risk stratification, and care standardization for PE.
• Further research is needed to evaluate the impact of PERTs on PE care quality and outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of a PERT on the quality and value of care for patients with acute pulmonary embolism.
• To compare patient outcomes and costs between pre-PERT and post-PERT implementation eras.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of adult patients with acute PE from January 2010 to December 2018.
• Exclusion of patients lacking imaging studies (CTPA or ECHO).
• Stratification into pre-PERT (before Oct 2015) and post-PERT (after Oct 2015) groups, considering right heart strain on imaging.

Main Results:

• Analysis included 530 patients (226 pre-PERT, 304 post-PERT).
• Significant improvements observed post-PERT: in-hospital mortality decreased (16.5% to 9.6%) and hospital length of stay (LOS) reduced (7.7 to 4.4 days).
• Total cost of care also demonstrated a statistically significant decrease post-PERT implementation.

Conclusions:

• Implementation of a PERT led to significant improvements in the quality and cost-effectiveness of pulmonary embolism care.
• These findings suggest PERTs enhance patient value through potentially faster diagnosis, risk stratification, and streamlined interventions.
• Further validation in larger patient cohorts is warranted to confirm these benefits.