Rethinking length of stay: new research disputes the link to cost savings.
Flying in the face of conventional thinking, a recent study indicates that length of stay (LOS) has little impact on a hospital's bottom line. In fact, the costs that are directly attributable to the last day of a hospital stay account for a relatively insignificant amount of total costs. In the long run, the study says, hospitals would be better served by placing less emphasis on LOS, concentrating instead on process changes and care delivery during the early stages of admission--a role in which case managers can figure prominently.
D000066:Accounting; D000289:Admitting Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019090:Case Management; D017046:Cost Savings / Q000379:methods; D017721:Hospital Costs; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics*; D008824:Michigan; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000191:economics*; D014481:United States