CONTINUUM-Activity Index: managing admission inappropriate stays in a community hospital

The CONTINUUM-Activity Index was used as a concurrent tool to measure intensity of services delivered in an Acute Care Community Hospital. Applying these specific daily measures identified patients who did not meet admission-appropriateness criteria on the first day of care or did not meet those criteria on two days subsequent to admission. These patients had a high probability that their entire stay would be inappropriate. Action was then taken to move the care process forward, resulting in a significant reduction in inappropriate hospital days.