2004 POISON CENTER SURVEY

A Profile Of Us Poison Centers In 2004: A Survey Conducted

By The American Association Of Poison Control Centers

Prepared by:

Deborah Haber, Manager, Member Services
Joseph Abrams, Data Analyst
Mark Mislivec, Consultant

Overview

The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) periodically surveys all US poison centers to characterize operations, services, staffing, and public education activities. In addition, the survey quantifies costs, delineates funding sources, and identifies the extent and impact of real or threatened funding cuts. These data are used by state and federal legislators and health agencies to identify funding needs, and by individual poison centers to compare services and costs. Previous surveys reviewed poison center operations and costs in 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1995, and 1993.

In 2004, a total of 63 poison control centers (PCCs) provided emergency phone consultations to the US public. AAPCC polled the 61 poison control centers that were open in 2005, surveying information related to poison control center operations, revenue and expenses in 2004. 59 poison control centers responded to the survey, including 53 certified centers and 6 non-certified centers. These responses were completed in 2006. The following tables provide an analysis of all of the responses for the calendar year 2004. Except as noted, these tables are parallel to those prepared for the 2002 poison control survey results in order to provide continuity.

The phrase ‘case record count’ has replaced the phrase ‘call volume’ used in prior years. The data reported within this survey are the result of those cases recorded in both each regional poison control centers’ and AAPCC’s national toxicosurveillance databases. Call volume is to be distinguished as the number of calls placed to poison control centers, which may differ from case record count as multiple calls may be placed regarding the same exposure.

Go Directly to Tables

The following data highlight some of the more significant results of the 2004 poison control center survey:

Case Record Count

The number of calls placed to PCCs continues to increase each year, as does the population that each PCC serves. 

♦ Human exposure case record count increased from 2,386,292 in 2002 to 2,473,570 in 2004. (Increase of 3.7% over 2002) 

♦ Animal exposure case record count increased from 130,110 in 2002 to 141,205 in 2004. (Increase of 8.5% over 2002) 

♦ Average population served by all centers increased from 4,566,055 in 2002 to 4,854,714 in 2004. 

Funding Trends

Poison control centers continue to face difficulties in securing stable long-term funding that reflects the rising costs of operations due to inflation and increases in fringe benefit rates.  

♦ 88% of responding PCCs reported either level funding or a funding decrease in 2004. The average reduction in funding among these centers was $109,739. 

♦ 46 of 59 centers receive less than 25% of total funding from federal sources. 

♦ 29 of 59 centers receive more than 50% of total funding from state sources. 

♦ 29.3% of responding centers (17 centers) reported facing a real threat of closure in the past five years. 

Impact on Poison Control Center Services

The effective reduction of funding for the overwhelming majority of PCCs, described above, threatens the excellent quality of service that poison control centers are able to provide to both the public and other health care professionals. 

♦ The average cost expenditure per human exposure declined from $44.91 in 2002 to $40.01 in 2004. (Decrease of 11.1% over 2002) 

♦ Although staffing levels have increased in aggregate, C/SPIs and PIPs are taking a higher number of calls per FTE than in prior years. 

♦ The percentage of certified call center staff has increased slightly since 2002, however the same percentage at non-certified centers has dropped by nearly half during the same time. 

♦ The amount of public education that PCCs are able to conduct is decreasing. 

Summary

Poison control centers are a vital component of the United States’ health care system, providing free 24-hour access to emergency poison information and exposure management consultations, and a significant cost savings over other health care costs. However continued threats to federal and state funding sources are having a material impact on how PCCs can deliver and promote these critical services. 

All data were compiled in SQL and analyzed using Microsoft Excel.