Case Study

Corewell Health Slashes DKA Costs by Nearly $1M in 18 Months

Improved Outcomes and Reduced LOS for DKA Patients with EndoTool IV

The Customer

Corewell Health West, a leading academic healthcare system in Michigan, has used EndoTool IV since 2009 to improve inpatient glycemic management. In response to a 20% rise in Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) admissions that mirrored national trends, Corewell conducted a retrospective analysis to quantify the value of EndoTool IV for high-acuity DKA patients.

The Challenge

Corewell faced rising DKA admissions and sought to understand how well their glycemic management strategy was holding up:

Could EndoTool continue to deliver strong outcomes in high-acuity, high-cost cases
Was EndoTool reducing hospital length of stay (LOS) and mortality while maintaining safety
Was it delivering financial ROI per patient?

Key Findings

Actual outcomes surpassed expected outcomes at Corewell Health West:

Metric	Corewell Actual Outcomes	Expected Outcomes	Impact
Length of Stay	5.15 days	5.82 days	514 hospital days saved
Mortality	2.3%	3.2%	6 fewer deaths
Cost per DKA Patient	$8,125	$9,329	$1,204 saved per patient
Severe Hypoglycemia	0.006%	Not measured	Virtually eliminated
ICU Utilization	85%	49%	High-acuity care, delivered efficiently

“By treating all of our DKA patients with EndoTool, we were able to reduce the cost of care by $1200 per patient and shorten hospital stays - outcomes that other hospitals have been unable to achieve without EndoTool.”

Dr. Gregory Deines, DO

Division Chief of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Corewell Health West

The Study

A retrospective review evaluated DKA patients treated between January 2023 – June 2024. Outcomes were compared against Vizient’s risk-adjusted expected values and a national benchmark group of 115 academic medical centers.

Clinical and Financial Wins

514 hospital days saved across DKA population
$912,298 in total cost savings, driven by faster recovery and fewer complications
$1,204 saved per DKA patient on average

A Proven Strategy for High-Acuity Glycemic Management

By applying patient-specific insulin dosing through EndoTool IV, Corewell Health West achieved:

Safer, faster recoveries for DKA patients
Reduced mortality and severe hypoglycemia
Meaningful financial savings and capacity gains

This case study illustrates how clinical decision support that adapts in real time to patient physiology can reduce variability, improve outcomes, and deliver system-wide ROI, especially when managing complex, high-risk patients.

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