AI-Driven OK2StandUP System Versus an In-Room Sitter? A Closer Look at the ROI

Health system are under constant pressure to reduce operational costs while maintaining high standards of patient safety. One of the most persistent—and often underestimated—expenses is in-room sitter coverage for fall risk patients. Cost of one sitter per month to a health system can exceed $18,000. On top of that, inpatient falls can lead to $30,000 to over $220,000 in unreimbursed costs, legal exposure, and longer hospital stays. The OK2StandUP System offers a smarter alternative. Avoiding just one sitter or one serious fall injury can more than cover the annual cost of the System—delivering immediate ROI while improving patient safety, quality ratings, and easing staffing strain.

This blog explores the cost of falls, cost-benefit analysis, and return on investment (ROI) of replacing in-room sitters with the AI-driven OK2StandUP System to help care staff prevent falls and improve health outcomes.

Accuracy, Privacy, Data Insights, and Workflow

Over the course of five product evaluations in long-term care settings who were reliant on sitters and fall detection alerts, the OK2StandUP System has consistently proven to be both reliable and impactful. Its predictive alerting technology enables proactive intervention and not just detection—helping care teams prevent falls before they happen, without disrupting existing workflows.

Key highlights include:

✅ 95% alert accuracy rate based on real-world product evaluations
⏱️ Alerts delivered within 3 to 6 seconds of a patient’s intent to sit up

In addition to its high AI-driven accuracy, the system supports patient privacy, delivers actionable data insights for care teams, and integrates seamlessly into existing workflows for long-term sustainability.

  • Patient Privacy & Experience

Patients who require sitter support often have cognitive impairments, such as dementia or delirium, which can make the presence of an unfamiliar person in their room unsettling. This is especially true at night, when confusion and agitation tend to increase. In some cases, the constant presence of a sitter can escalate behavioral issues or lead to resistance during care. Privacy is another concern—particularly during sensitive moments like bathing or toileting.

The OK2StandUP System offers a thoughtful alternative: a discreet, wearable monitor that keeps patients safe without intruding on their space or routine. It helps preserve dignity while ensuring timely staff intervention when it's truly needed.

  • Data Insights

Sitters are commonly used to observe and document patient behavior, but this approach is highly labor-intensive, expensive, and often inconsistent. Documentation quality can vary widely depending on the individual, making it difficult to rely on for clinical decision-making.

The OK2StandUP System addresses this gap by delivering a continuous stream of objective, time-stamped data that captures when a patient shows intent to sit up. These insights provide a clearer picture of patient behavior over time, helping clinicians identify fall risk early and tailor fall risk care plans from admission through discharge.

  • Staff Workflow Integration

The OK2StandUP System was specifically designed to integrate seamlessly into existing clinical workflows. The System works silently in the background, continuously monitoring patient movement and delivering predictive alerts directly to nurses’ smartphones. There’s no need for constant observation, allowing staff to respond proactively —it’s built to make clinical care more efficient and proactive.

Cost-Benefit Analysis & Return on Investment (ROI)

For any new technology investment, the financial case must be as compelling as the clinical one.

AI fall Prevention
  • Costs of the Status Quo
  • Direct Fall Costs: The JAMA Health Forum places the average direct cost of a single inpatient fall at over $35,000 regardless of level of injury.
  • 1:1 Sitters: The true cost of a full-time hospital sitter—factoring in payroll taxes, benefits, and overhead—averages $25 per hour, which amounts to approximately $600 per day or $18,000 per month.
  • Insurance & Liability:  Continental Casualty Company (CNA)—a major insurer for hospitals and long-term care facilities— has shown a clear link between patient falls, rising claim costs, and higher insurance premiums. According to a 2023 study, patient falls are one of the main causes of lawsuits against hospitals and nearly half of the lawsuits end in favor of the patient. In skilled nursing facilities, 50% of legal actions are fall-related with claims averaging $223,637.
  • ROI of AI-Driven OK2StandUP System
  • Sitter Cost Reduction: The OK2StandUP System is a cost-effective alternative to in-room sitters for patients with cognitive impairment such as those recovering from stroke, anesthesia, or recent falls. While sitters can cost up to $18,000 per month—or $216,000 per year—per patient, the OK2StandUP System is a fraction of this cost. This cost difference enables a rapid return on investment, often achieving breakeven in just a few months, while also reducing staffing strain and improving operational efficiency.
  • Fall Cost Avoidance: Preventing even one or two serious inpatient falls each year can offset the full cost of a single OK2StandUP System. With average fall-related legal claims exceeding $220,000 and hospital costs rising by $6,000 to $30,000 per fall, the financial risk of doing nothing is substantial. The OK2StandUP System not only protects patients but also shields hospitals from unreimbursed costs, liability exposure, and lengthened hospital stays.
  • Improved Throughput: By reducing inpatient falls and the resulting complications, the OK2StandUP System can help shorten hospital stays and free up beds more quickly. A single fall can add 6 to 12 extra hospital days, delaying discharges and straining capacity. Preventing these incidents improves patient flow, reduces bottlenecks in step-down and med-surg units, and enables hospitals to treat more patients with the same staff and space—directly impacting revenue and operational efficiency.


The Financial Impact: Your Proactive Savings Forecaster

To demonstrate the powerful business case, we’ve developed more than just a simple calculator; this is a Proactive Savings Forecaster to help you quantify not only the obvious expenses but also the "hidden" operational costs of falls at your facility. Use this model to build a data-driven case for investing in a proactive standard of care.


Webflow Compatible ROI Calculator

The Financial Impact

Your Proactive Savings Forecaster

Step 1 of 2: Your Facility's Baseline Costs

Let's start with the most direct costs associated with your current fall prevention protocols.

If unknown, we'll use an industry average based on your bed count.
This includes diagnostics, treatment, and supplies. Your facility may have a more specific internal number.

Ready to Build a Business Case for Proactive Safety?
The results speak for themselves. This powerful financial case, combined with the clear clinical benefits, is why leading facilities are moving to a predictive, wearable-based standard of care.

Disclaimer: This calculator provides an estimate for illustrative purposes only based on industry data and user input. Actual savings may vary.

Scenario of Cost Savings

nurse assists post-operative patient walking safely
  • Post-Hip Arthroplasty Patient (Hospital Med-Surg Unit)
  • After hip surgery, a 78-year-old patient is flagged as high fall risk. Instead of assigning a $600/day sitter, the hospital uses an AI-powered wearable that detects early movement and sends an alert to the nurse’s smartphone within 3–6 seconds.

    Outcome:
    The nurse intervenes before a nighttime fall, preventing injury, extra hospital days, and legal exposure—saving over $3,000 in just five days.
nurse checking phone "fall alert" notification

    Summary: Choosing the Right Path Forward

    While every safety protocol has its place, the evidence is clear. For hospitals and nursing homes aiming to make a transformative impact on fall rates, patient experience, and staff efficiency, AI-powered wearable technology represents the clear path forward. It is the only solution that provides continuous, private, and predictive protection, moving the industry from a state of reaction to one of true, data-driven prevention.

    Ready to move from a reactive to a proactive patient safety model?

    Contact OK2StandUP for a personalized consultation and let us show you how our patient-centric technology can benefit your entire organization.