ABSTRACT
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), hospital ALOS (average length of stay) in the 1980s was 7.3 days.1 This allowed nurses and social workers ample time to develop and implement the discharge plan. Based on the DRG (diagnosis-related group) system, by 2005 ALOS had decreased to 4.5 days.2 This dramatic shift in the ALOS has forced today’s discharge planners to operate in an urgent environment, where the handling of multiple priorities is the norm. In an effort to meet business , quality, and customer expectations, discharge planning departments have made futile attempts to transition from reactive to proactive processes. As the scope of this function continues to expand, so does the complexity of patient and family needs. In response, discharge planners must again transform.
