They were also more alert and
responsive to the examiner’s face and voice, and they showed more organized limb
movements on the BNBAS. Finally, they were discharged from the hospital 6 days
sooner, saving approximately $3000 per infant in hospital costs. The comparable
cost savings today in the US would be $10,000 per infant. If every one of the
470,000 premature infants born each year in the US was massaged, the hospital
cost savings would approximate $4.7 billion per year. That dollar figure could
double based on more recent data, suggesting that the same weight gain can be
achieved in 5 days, versus 10 days, of massage therapy