Hospitals cutting costs by not treating gunshot victims right away

A look at 25,000 cases of shooting and stabbing injuries in the abdomen between 2002 and 2008 from the National Trauma Data Bank found that more hospitals are opting for no-surgery options when possible, reports NPR. The study found that approximately 22% of gunshot-wound and 34% of stab-wound patients were treated without immediate surgery. Instead, they underwent diagnostic testing and were put on careful surveillance. This is the more cost-effective option. When it's successful, the payoffs are big.