Administrative days in acute care facilities: a queueing-analytic approach.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Operations Research
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Patients often remain in acute care hospitals after medical needs are met, awaiting extended care services.
• This prolonged stay, termed "administrative days," is due to non-medical, administrative reasons.
• Understanding the dynamics of patient flow during this transition is crucial for healthcare efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To model the patient placement process for extended care services from acute care facilities.
• To analyze the factors influencing the duration of administrative days.
• To provide insights into the policy implications of patient flow management.

Main Methods:

• Employed a queueing-analytic approach to describe patient awaiting placement.
• Developed a model with a state-dependent placement rate for patients awaiting transfer.
• Validated model results using data from seven hospitals in New York State.

Main Results:

• The queueing model effectively describes the process of patients awaiting extended care placement.
• State-dependent placement rates were analyzed in relation to patient backup in acute facilities.
• Model predictions were compared against empirical data from sampled hospitals.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a quantitative framework for understanding administrative days in hospitals.
• The findings highlight the impact of administrative processes on patient flow and hospital capacity.
• Policy recommendations can be informed by the insights gained from the queueing-analytic model.