Workplace violence continues to impact the healthcare industry, creating financial strain, workforce instability, and declines in patient safety and care. Yet many organizations still struggle to secure support, funding, or prioritization for the safety investments to protect their people.
During a recent expert-led session hosted by ASHRM, healthcare leaders from Unison Risk Solutions and CENTEGIX came together to explore a critical question: How can hospitals make a financially compelling case for workplace violence prevention?
What followed was an in-depth discussion that blended national data, financial modeling, clinical insights, and real-world examplesโall pointing to a clear conclusion: investing in safety delivers measurable returns across the entire organization.
The Escalating Reality of Violence in Healthcare
The latest national data paints a stark picture.
- 81.6% of nurses experienced workplace violence in the past year, according to the National Nurses United 2024 report.
- In emergency medicine, 71% of emergency physicians believe violence is worse than it was last year.
- 91% have experienced threats or attacks within the past year.
- Even more concerning: 68% felt their employerโs response was insufficient, and 50% said nothing was done at all.
This isnโt limited to a single specialty. A Black Book Research survey found that 100% of healthcare staff surveyed had either experienced or witnessed workplace violenceโand nearly all believed their current safety protocols were inadequate.
Despite broad acknowledgment that violence is a major issue, many organizations still struggle to address it meaningfully. Resource constraints, competing priorities, and underreporting all contribute to stalled progress.
A 2024 study found that up to 80% of violent incidents in healthcare go unreported, leaving leaders with an incomplete picture of the problem and an inability to allocate resources strategically.
The Financial Burden: What Violence Actually Costs Hospitals
The financial impact of workplace violence is staggeringโyet often underestimated. Unison Risk Solutions analyzed their workplace violence claims across a 10-year period and found:
- 5,700 employees were injured due to workplace violence
- More than $18 million was paid out on associated claims
- A single workplace violence claim reached $570,000
In behavioral health and other high-acuity environments, they saw an even heavier burden. Each year, mental health workers collectively lose 6,000 workdays due to severe injuries caused by violence.
The American Hospital Association (AHA) recently quantified this problem on a national scale, publishing a report that documented, in 2023, U.S. hospitals incurred $18.27 billion in total annual financial costs associated with violence. $3.62 billion was directed toward pre-event expenses (training, workplace violence prevention tools), while a staggering $14.65 billion was spent in post-event costs (treatment, lost workdays, staffing, repairs).
Notably, this report highlights that post-event expenses are four times higher than early workplace violence prevention costs, demonstrating that proactive planning is not only safer but also significantly more cost-effective.
The Proven Impact of Workplace Violence Prevention
Workplace violence interventions workโand the data proves it.
Over the last two decades, studies show that implementing safety measures results in an 18% to 66% reduction in violent incidents. When applied to the financial burden above, even the lower end of that range can yield substantial savings.
Stacey Markel, Unison Risk Solutions, shared, โWe had a client who prioritized an initiative to improve workplace safety by implementing measures like de-escalation and situational awareness training, panic alarms, clear no-tolerance policies, and visitor management. They were able to reduce injuries from workplace violence by over 45 percent, which in turn lowered their costs associated with workplace violence.โ
Workplace violence prevention is not theoretical. Itโs measurable and repeatable. Yet many healthcare leaders still ask: How do I take this data and apply it to my hospital?
Thatโs where the new CENTEGIX Workplace Safety ROI Calculator comes in.
Making the Case: Showcasing a Return from Safety Investments
The ROI calculator, developed by CENTEGIX, enables hospitals to quantify potential savings by entering a few key data points, including staffed beds, RN headcount, and safety investment costs.
The tool leverages values based on national averages to project estimated financial savings. For example, a hospital with 135 beds and 190 RNs budgeting a $150,000 investment in safety (including duress badges) can forecast their potential reduction in claims and turnover, resulting in a net annual savings of over $130,000.
For larger hospitalsโwith 300 or 600 staffed bedsโthe savings scale dramatically. The model shows that strategic, organization-wide safety interventions can deliver six- or seven-figure annual returns.
This data arms leaders with what they need most: a defensible business case aligned with financial impacts and expectations.
Safety as the Foundation of Workforce Well-Being
As Nancy Shendell-Falik emphasized during the session, every healthcare executive today is navigating an impossible matrix of prioritiesโstaffing shortages, regulatory demands, patient experience scores, financial pressure, and evolving legislation. Workplace safety intersects all of them.
Safety Is the #1 Predictor of Nurse Retention
A McKinsey & Co. study found that safety outranked compensation, work-life balance, and culture as the top factor influencing whether nurses stay in their role.
The emotional toll of violence is equally measurable: Healthcare workers who have experienced violence are 57% to 93% more likely to suffer mental health impacts like anxiety, depression, and burnout, according to the CDC. Of those who experienced violence in their roles:
- 85% report anxiety
- 60% report depression
- 81% report burnout
These factors play a critical role in retention, and workforce turnover costs are high. The 2025 NSI National Healthcare Retention Report found that the average turnover cost for a bedside RN is $61,110. For the average hospital, thatโs $3.9Mโ$5.7M lost annually.
But there is a silver liningโevery percentage change in RN turnover can save a hospital approximately $289,000 in turnover costs. This shows that even modest improvements in staff safety can result in meaningful gains for workforce and financial stability.
Safety Directly Impacts Patient Experience and Outcomes
Safety and patient care are inseparable. A study in the Journal of Nursing Care Quality identified that two of the top three predictors of a patient safety grade were physical safety and psychological protection.
Another study, published in Health Policy, found that a 10% increase in โintention to leaveโ among staff increased the likelihood of inpatient mortality by 14%, demonstrating how staff instability caused by unsafe conditions can directly impact patient outcomes.
Conversely, this study showed that better work environments reduced job dissatisfaction, burnout, and intention to leave by up to 32%.
When staff feel protected, patients feel it tooโthrough calmer interactions, more consistent care, improved communication, and stronger overall trust. This is where the direct correlation between provider safety and patient care lies.
From Insight to Action: Practical Steps for Leaders
Experts closed the session with actionable recommendations for risk, safety, and nurse leaders.
1. Establish a Baseline: Use perception surveys, incident reports, and workersโ comp data to uncover risk and track change.
2. Build a Cross-Functional Team: Include nursing, security, risk management, HR, behavioral health, and frontline staff.
3. Communicate Often: Celebrate safety wins. Reinforce that โsafety is a shared responsibility.โ
4. Track and Share Progress: Transparency builds trust and accountability.
5. Empower with the Right Tools: Prioritize scalable, intuitive solutionsโsuch as wearable duress buttons with campus-wide coverage.
6. Leverage Technology in a Layered Strategy: Combine wearable duress buttons, like CENTEGIX CrisisAlert, with visitor management, EMR triggers, signage, assessments, and education.
7. Ensure Scalability: Avoid fragmented, unit-specific tools. Choose solutions that can grow with the health system.
The Takeaway: Safety Isnโt a Cost. Itโs a Strategic Investment.
Healthcare leaders agree that violence is out of control and that something must change. But, with tight budgets and financial uncertainty, leaders need more than a mission-driven plea.
They need a business case.
By quantifying the full financial and organizational impact of safety, and demonstrating how workplace violence prevention reduces claims, stabilizes the workforce, and strengthens patient care, leaders can drive meaningful change that protects their people and their institution.
A strong culture of safety is one of the most valuable assets a healthcare organization can build. With the right data and the right tools, that culture becomes achievable, measurable, and sustainable.
Ready to build a business case for safety? See how our ROI Calculator can help you.
