Improve Patient Care with Proactive Discharge Planning.
Discharge planning doesn’t have to be chaotic. If you’re a discharge planner, RN case manager, or social worker, you know the drill: coordinating care, finding post-acute facilities, and navigating endless barriers. On top of that, staffing shortages, rising inpatient volumes, and economic pressures make every discharge more complex than it should be.
But what if you could streamline the entire process and reduce the frustrations that lead to delays? With REFER.HEALTH’s free app, you can. By taking a proactive approach to discharge planning, you can save time, reduce avoidable days, and ensure your patients move on to the next phase of care safely and efficiently.
What Are Avoidable Days—and Why Do They Matter?
Avoidable days are extra days patients spend in the hospital after they’re medically ready for discharge. These delays are costly, unnecessary, and all too common. Consider these facts:
- 1 in 4 inpatient hospital days are avoidable. Avoidable days make up 25% of inpatient days, adding unnecessary strain to already overburdened healthcare systems.
- The average avoidable stay lasts 1.2 days. Even short delays add up when multiplied across hundreds of patients.
- $2,873 per day per patient. That’s the average cost of a hospital room in the U.S. For a 500-bed hospital, these costs can quickly spiral into millions of dollars annually.
- 29,590 hospital beds occupied for a year. Avoidable days nationwide equate to this staggering figure, which represents wasted capacity that could be used for new patients in need.
“Avoidable days…occur because of some kind of avoidable delay, including ‘any barrier to facilitating effective, efficient, timely, and safe care.’ These barriers can be as simple as not securing necessary durable medical equipment or as complex as delays in securing a room at a skilled nursing facility.” – Pallabi Sanyal-Dey, MD, UCSF School of Medicine
Why it matters: Avoidable delays don’t just cost money—they increase the risk of complications, frustrate patients, and overwhelm care teams. Addressing these inefficiencies is critical to improving care outcomes and reducing strain on your hospital.
The Barriers Behind Avoidable Days
Avoidable days happen for many reasons, most of which are preventable with better discharge planning tools. Some common barriers include:
- Equipment Delays: Patients may need durable medical equipment (DME) like oxygen tanks or walkers to transition safely home, but delays in securing these can prolong their stay.
- Post-Acute Placement Issues: Finding beds at skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) or rehab centers can be a nightmare, especially with 58% of facilities limiting admissions due to staffing shortages.
- Lack of Coordination: Tasks like arranging transportation, completing patient education, or finalizing assessments often fall through the cracks, creating unnecessary delays.
How REFER.HEALTH Solves the Problem
REFER.HEALTH is designed to tackle these challenges head-on. Our free app empowers discharge planners to reduce delays, simplify processes, and improve outcomes for their patients.
Here’s how it works:
- Enter Patient Information: Add the patient’s zip code, insurance, and discharge needs into the app.
- Find Local Matches Instantly: REFER.HEALTH generates a list of vetted providers tailored to the patient’s unique situation.
- Customize and Approve Results: Approve the best options and exclude providers that don’t fit.
- Share a Discharge Brochure: Print or email a brochure with personalized options, complete with QR codes for more details.
It’s fast, intuitive, and effective. REFER.HEALTH takes the stress out of discharge planning so you can focus on what matters most—your patients.
The Big Picture: Why Discharge Planning Needs to Change
Delays in discharge planning aren’t just frustrating—they have ripple effects across the entire healthcare system. According to data from major healthcare systems:
- Mass General Brigham and Intermountain Healthcare reported higher lengths of stay (LOS) in 2022, driven largely by delays in discharges.
- For-profit hospitals like HCA Healthcare saw LOS increase from 4.8 days to 4.9 days on average—a small shift with significant financial impacts when applied across thousands of patients.
These increases strain hospital resources, reduce available capacity, and result in poorer outcomes for patients.
The Financial Impact of Avoidable Days
Let’s break down the numbers for a typical 500-bed hospital:
- $2,873/day x 1.2 avoidable days/patient = significant cost per patient.
- By reducing avoidable days by just 5%, hospitals could save up to $6.5 million annually.
REFER.HEALTH helps discharge planners achieve these savings by addressing the root causes of delays and providing tools for more efficient care transitions.
Why REFER.HEALTH Is Built for You
Here’s why discharge planners, RN case managers, and social workers love REFER.HEALTH:
- Access to Trusted Providers: Quickly match patients with vetted local providers for in-home care, SNFs, hospice, and more.
- Data You Can Use: Track how often your referrals are viewed and chosen, giving you actionable insights to improve processes.
- Personalized Support: Tailor each discharge plan to the unique needs of your patients, creating a seamless experience.
- Completely Free: REFER.HEALTH is 100% free to use, with no hidden fees or commitments.
Take the First Step Toward Better Planning
Reducing avoidable days starts with proactive discharge planning. That means aligning care teams, addressing barriers early, and ensuring patients transition smoothly.
REFER.HEALTH is here to make that easier. Whether you’re coordinating transportation, finding post-acute care, or ensuring a patient has the equipment they need, REFER.HEALTH simplifies the process so you can work smarter, not harder.
Start Using REFER.HEALTH Today
Every patient deserves a smooth discharge, and every discharge planner deserves tools that make their job easier.
- Sign up for free. No fees, no strings attached—just tools that work.
- Simplify your workflow. Save time and reduce stress with automated referrals and tracking.
- Focus on care. Free up your time to support your patients and their families.
Or call us at 281-891-9900 to learn more about how REFER.HEALTH can revolutionize your discharge planning process.