Discharge Delays and Associated Charges Among Hospitalized International Patients

Abstract

Background: Delay in discharges from inpatient admissions are common and have significant financial implications. Studies have suggested that as much as 30% of total costs could be attributed to avoidable hospital bed-days1. Qualitatively, discharge delays contribute to increased staff stress and strained interpersonal relationships2. Discharge delays in pediatric wards have been attributed to physician behavior, discharge planning processes, consultation coordination, and test scheduling; quality improvement efforts (e.g. lean six sigma implementation) have been shown to improve these delays3,4. Technology-dependent pediatric patients are associated with high healthcare costs and inpatient …