Process Improvement Initiative to Reduce Average Length of Stay in a Community Hospital - A Preliminary Report

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Process Improvement
• Hospital Operations

Background:

• Average length of stay (ALOS) has risen in US hospitals post-COVID-19.
• Community hospitals face challenges in managing patient length of stay.
• Optimizing ALOS is crucial for hospital efficiency and patient flow.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement a process improvement initiative aimed at reducing ALOS.
• To decrease the average length of stay by a target of 10%.

Main Methods:

• Implemented three core tactics: early mobilization, Interprofessional Partnership to Advance Care and Education (IPACE) rounding, and structured interdisciplinary care rounds.
• Utilized the Model for Improvement framework with weekly reporting of process and outcome measures.
• Workgroups designed, measured, and implemented improvements, overseen by a central steering committee.

Main Results:

• ALOS on inpatient medical units decreased by 13.7% (from 6.3 to 5.5 days) in the first six months post-implementation.
• This reduction was statistically significant when compared to the same period in the prior year (P < .01).

Conclusions:

• A 13.7% reduction in ALOS was achieved through an interdisciplinary team's developed tactics.
• The implemented interventions show significant preliminary improvement in hospital length of stay.
• Further research is needed to isolate the impact of individual interventions and control for confounders.