Overview

• Researchers from Boston University and UMass Chan report that dedicated Resuscitation Care Units are associated with improved efficiency and more accurate billing for high-acuity emergency care.
• The analysis compared 35 weeks before and after UMass Memorial Medical Center opened a nine-bed unit in July 2019, using a nearby hospital without such a unit as a comparator.
• Billing codes reflecting care intensity shifted upward alongside higher revenue after implementation, indicating the model can be fiscally sustainable.
• RCUs centralize care for the sickest patients, enabling faster delivery of treatments and helping preserve intensive care beds for longer-term needs, according to the authors.
• Findings are published in the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine (Sept. 26, 2025; DOI: 10.5811/westjem.41521), with corresponding author Michael H. Sherman, MD, MA, FACEP.