title: Coordinated care early discharge of postpartum patients at Irwin Army Community Hospital.
abstract: A trial program of early discharge of postpartum patients was instituted at the Fort Riley MEDDAC as part of a coordinated-care initiative. The goals of this program were to increase quality and access to care while containing health costs. A total of 788 bed days valued at $705,260 were made available for use by other patients. Maternal readmission rate was 0.3%; length of stay was decreased from 3.22 days to 1.22 days. Early discharge was made possible through a combination of medical record screening and comprehensive patient education. This study indicates that early discharge provides quality of care and cost effectiveness without adverse outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Preventive Medicine Service, Irwin Army Community Hospital, Fort Riley, KS 66442.
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Gonzalves
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hardin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000191:economics; D006772:Hospitals, Military; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics*; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000191:economics; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000191:economics*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States