​Patients Awaiting Discharge To Post-Acute Care Settings

Based on feedback from hospitals across the state regarding concerns related to the barriers to the timely discharge of patients, FHA surveyed all hospitals to gather data on each patient who was/is clinically ready for discharge but remained in the hospital for ten or more days beyond the discharge order date due to difficulties in finding placement to post-acute care. This information was provided for any individual ready for hospital discharge from July 1, 2021, to July 31, 2022. 
We also asked for summary-level data on the total patient count who were clinically ready for discharge but remained in the hospital for 2–9 days beyond the discharge order date for the same period, July 1, 2021, to July 31, 2022.
We are pleased to provide our analysis of the data that was provided, representing 54% of all hospital beds. The survey included an analysis of over 38,000 patients representing almost 260,000 total patient days. The results established that the number one barrier to discharge is the lack of available, staffed beds in post-acute settings.  Some of the high-level data points include:

• Waiting for placement substantially increases hospital costs. The data shows over $500 million in estimated avoidable costs incurred by the hospitals with patients awaiting placement.
• Hospitals submit requests for appropriate placement for patients medically ready for discharge, but it can be a lengthy process. 50% of hospitals had more than 10 denied requests for placement. Of those, nearly 9% of hospitals have submitted more than 100 denied requests for placement!
• No one should be in a hospital bed longer than is necessary for their medical care needs! Timely discharges from the hospital allow beds to be available for patients who need hospital care, especially when patients often wait in the emergency department for inpatient beds.

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FHA Survey Results—Patients Awaiting Discharge to Post-Acute Care Settings
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This information will be used as we educate lawmakers about the impact of these delays in timely discharges on both the capacity of the system to meet other demands for inpatient beds and the costs associated with these patients.  

Download the one-pager here. 

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