SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-Evaluating the Effectiveness of Strategies to Reduce Hospital Length of Stay: A Multi-Facility Study on Quality of Patient Care and Efficiency

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Strategies to Reduce Hospital Length of Stay: A Multi-Facility Study on Quality of Patient Care and Efficiency

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This multi-facility prospective cohort study evaluated whether the TeamHealth Hospital Medicine LOS Program could reduce hospital length of stay (LOS) without harming quality of care. LOS, defined as total inpatient days divided by total admissions, is an important measure of hospital efficiency, patient safety, experience, and cost. The study compared 12 months before implementation (Nov. 1, 2021–Oct. 31, 2022) with 12 months after implementation (Nov. 1, 2022–Oct. 31, 2023) across four facilities.<br /><br />The program used a standardized implementation process: facility medical directors completed a self-assessment, reviewed a LOS toolkit, built an action plan, and tracked data through a dashboard. Outcomes included average daily encounters (ADE), case mix index (CMI), productivity, actual LOS (ALOS), mortality, 30-day readmission, discharge orders before 11:00 AM, and patient experience scores.<br /><br />Results showed a statistically significant reduction in ALOS from 4.58 days to 4.37 days, along with reduced variation in LOS. Clinician productivity improved, while ADE did not change significantly, suggesting the LOS reduction was not due to lower patient volume. Despite a significant increase in CMI, LOS still improved, indicating better efficiency. Importantly, quality metrics such as 30-day readmission, discharge timing, and patient experience did not worsen, and mortality actually decreased significantly after implementation.<br /><br />The study concludes that the TeamHealth LOS Program successfully reduced hospital LOS while maintaining or improving patient care quality. Limitations included the small number of facilities, possible external influences, uncontrolled confounders, and the observational study design. Future research should examine long-term sustainability, the most effective program components, outcomes beyond 30 days, and how discharge destination affects LOS.

Asset Subtitle

Eashana Arora

Meta Tag

Author List Eashana Arora, Ruby Ruby Sahoo, Zachery C. Jones

Category Research

Concept Length of Stay

Concept TeamHealth Hospital Medicine LOS Program

Concept Patient Care Quality

Concept Hospital Efficiency

Concept Case Mix Index

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization Texas A&M College of Medicine

Presenting Author Eashana Arora

Track Other

Keywords

hospital length of stay

LOS reduction

TeamHealth Hospital Medicine

prospective cohort study

patient safety

quality of care

case mix index

30-day readmission

clinician productivity

discharge timing

Length of Stay

TeamHealth Hospital Medicine LOS Program

Patient Care Quality

Hospital Efficiency

Case Mix Index