Patient Days in Alternate Level of Care (Percentage)

There is growing concern that providing ALC services in an acute care hospital is not optimum for patients who are ready to be discharged but must remain in hospital until they can be discharged to an appropriate setting. Long LOS for patients in ALC service can have a negative impact on the efficiency and resource use of hospitals; an example is long waits in the emergency department pending the availability of an inpatient bed. This measure indicates the total days where patients were designated as being on the ALC service as a proportion of the total patient days for the hospital. 

The availability of out-of-hospital supporting health services (such as home care and long-term residential care) is often a significant factor in the delay to discharge, resulting in longer LOS in ALC service.
This measure may help hospital administrators monitor the LOS in ALC service and collaborate with other sectors of the health care system to improve the ALC patient flow.