Abstract
Length of stay outlier patients, who remain in hospitals for extended periods of time, is an important challenge to the improvement of health care efficiency. This study identified outlier patients and programs to address them in the metropolitan area of Syracuse, New York. It demonstrated that, during 2013, outlier patients accounted for 2.4 percent of adult medicine discharges and an excess average daily census of 53.3 patients in the Syracuse hospitals. During 2013, outlier patients accounted for 4.3 percent of adult surgery discharges and an excess average daily census of 44.1 patients. In two studies, the Syracuse hospitals identified the need for multiple intravenous therapy, extensive wound care, and total parenteral nutrition in the community, as major causes of outlier stays in hospitals. Each of the hospitals has developed a program with a long term care facility to address these needs. Efforts to address outlier lengths of stay are also focusing on Potentially Preventable Complications in Syracuse. The mean length of stay for inpatients with post admissions complications was almost three times the stay for the medical/surgical population during 2013.
Highlights
In the United States and elsewhere, the need for efficiency in the delivery of health care is growing in impor-tance
This study focused on the identification of length of stay outlier patients and development of programs to address them in the health care system of Syracuse, New York, a small metropolitan area located in Upstate New York
Data related to identification of patients with long lengths of stay for adult medicine and adult surgery are summarized in Tables 1 and 2
Summary
In the United States and elsewhere, the need for efficiency in the delivery of health care is growing in impor-. R. Lagoe et al / Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology 5 (2014) 188-196 that post admission complications, such as pneumonia, urinary tract infection, clostridium difficile colitis, and decubitus ulcer extend hospital stays and related expenses for staffing, supplies, and pharmaceuticals [8,9]. Lagoe et al / Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology 5 (2014) 188-196 that post admission complications, such as pneumonia, urinary tract infection, clostridium difficile colitis, and decubitus ulcer extend hospital stays and related expenses for staffing, supplies, and pharmaceuticals [8,9] Many of these patients have high severity of illness. This study described a series of efforts to identify and reduce numbers of outlier patients within the health care system of a small United States metropolitan area The hospitals of this area made substantial gains in efficiency during the 1990s and the first years of the twenty first century.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
