​More than 5 million patients are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) annually, accounting for 14 percent ($107 billion) of total hospital expenditures. As demand for ICU care increases, patients often endure excessive wait times for bed assignment due to capacity shortages, further straining emergency departments.

In this April 23 seminar, Elisa Long, assistant professor in Decisions, Operations & Technology Management at the Anderson School of Management, examines a way to more efficiently use ICU resources.

Specifically, Long developed a model that estimates whether the amount of time a patient waits for a bed has an impact on their health. Long also examined whether rapid discharge from the ICU (in order to free up beds) has an adverse effect on whether that patient is readmitted later.