A targeted initiative to discharge surgical patients earlier in the day is associated with decreased length of stay and improved hospital throughput.

BACKGROUND: The timing of inpatient discharges can impact hospital throughput with later discharges leading to decreased patient satisfaction, increased length of stay (LOS), and longer boarding times.

METHODS: A 12-month targeted intervention that included both pre-operative and inpatient components was implemented across all surgical inpatient services to increase the proportion of patients discharged by noon.

RESULTS: Discharge by noon rates increased from 14.3% to 21.5% during the 12-month initiative (p < 0.01). The case mix index adjusted LOS (aLOS) decreased from 2.17 to 2.02 days (p < 0.01). ED, PACU, and ICU boarding times were all significantly lower during the initiative (p < 0.01, p < 0.01, p = 0.03 respectively).

CONCLUSIONS: A targeted initiative to discharge surgical patients earlier resulted in a 50% increase in the proportion of patients discharged by noon. Associated with this finding were improvements in hospital throughput as measured by aLOS and boarding times in the ED, ICUs, and PACU.