“How much does it cost?” is a common question in health care.
“How much does it save?” is the question we are working to answer.
Prompted by national initiatives like the American Nurses Association’s 2025 Economic Value of Nursing Project, our team set out to quantify the impact of nursing practice. We began by hosting ROI classes for approximately 50 nursing professional development (NPD) practitioners, teaching them to calculate the financial impact of their educational interventions.
But we didn’t stop at training. We built a tool.
Our proprietary nursing ROI calculator uses historical and organizational data to automatically quantify the costs associated with clinical problems and interventions. When executive leaders initially raised concerns about “soft numbers” and confounding variables, the team leaned in and refined the approach. We incorporated feedback from chief nurse executives, directors and managers to transform the calculator into a robust advocacy tool that accounts for those complexities.
The result is a rigorously vetted tool that has now been downloaded 901 times. In 2025 alone, nurse-led initiatives identified more than $12 million in realized savings and cost avoidance. Highlights include:
- Nurse residency program: Achieved a 22.8 percent reduction in first-year turnover, resulting in $8.7 million in savings.
- CAUTI reduction: Fewer infections, leading to an estimated $4.4 million cost avoidance.
- Blood culture contamination: Reduced contamination rates, saving $2.8 million.
The significance of this innovation was further validated this year with the publication of our manuscript, “Beyond Calculation: Empowering Nurse Advocates Through Data-Driven ROI,” which shares this framework with the broader scientific community.
This tool is a powerful example of the “technology and innovation” and “secure our financial future” pillars working together. By bridging the gap between clinical care and financial stewardship, we ensure that nursing innovation is seen not as a cost driver, but as a value generator for MultiCare.
Written by: Emily Calabro, PhD, RN, Clinical Nurse Scientist, MultiCare