WASHINGTON – Supporters of poison control centers say a proposed $27 million reduction in funding, part of a package of cuts announced in February by House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), would close some centers and lead to higher healthcare costs.
Poison control centers get the bulk of their funding, about 80 percent, from local and state sources, with the remaining 20 percent from the federal government, said Jim Hirt, executive director of the American Association of Poison Control Centers.
"Right now, they need that 20 percent to stay open," Hirt said.
The nation's poison control center system consists of 57 centers. Not all states have a poison control center, but every region of the country is covered by a center. Centers are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, are staffed by highly trained professionals and are free to users.
For a $29.3 million investment from the federal government, the government gets $1 billion in healthcare cost savings, said Hirt. Poison control centers handle more than 4 million calls each year and keep 75 percent of callers from going to an emergency room.
In Louisiana, says the AAPCC, a call to the poison control center costs about $33, while an uncomplicated emergency department visit ranges from $600 to $800.
"There's a big move to 'Let's cut, cut, cut as much as we can,'" said Ron Kirschner, MD, medical director at the Nebraska Regional Poison Center. "If you're going to save a little bit tomorrow but it's going to cost a lot more next week, is that a smart move?"
Poison control centers handle calls that include bee stings, accidental ingestion of medications, food poisoning and calls from professionals in ERs with crashing patients. Professionals staffing these centers also do a lot of local outreach and education.
"You don't think about us until you need us, and when you do, you want us right now because 'I'm poisoned!'" said Henry Spiller, the director of the Kentucky Regional Poison Center at Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville. If poison control centers have to close because of lack of funds, he said, those distressed people will go to more expensive ERs for care.
If hospital staff can't turn to a poison control center for toxicology help, he said, patients in need of help will end up being sicker and requiring longer hospital stays, which translates into higher healthcare costs.
It costs $1.5 million for the Kentucky center to stay open. Spiller estimates it will take five or six months before the center would have to close if federal funding is cut.
"I save $28 million in reduced healthcare costs," said Spiller, of which $14 million is saved in Medicare and Medicaid costs. "You can understand that without us, it's going to cost them significantly more."
Rogers did not respond to a request for comment.