Survey: Discharge Delays Burdening Minnesota Hospitals

A survey of Minnesota hospitals has discovered persistent, ongoing delays in discharges from emergency departments and inpatient care, leading to tens of 1000’s of days of pointless hospital-level affected person care and monetary losses for the hospitals. 

The survey of 101 hospitals by the Minnesota Hospital Affiliation (MHA) follows comparable information assortment by the Minnesota Division of Human Providers within the first 5 months of 2023, which discovered greater than 76,245 days of pointless hospital care. The brand new survey discovered 65,555 further days of pointless affected person stays June via October. (The brand new information displays normal seasonal variation in hospital care, in addition to adjustments in administrative information assortment, in keeping with MHA.) These surveys symbolize an annual complete of practically 195,000 affected person days of avoidable and unpaid care. This affected person gridlock not solely reduces general capability for hospital care; it additionally value Minnesota hospitals and well being methods an estimated $487 million in unpaid care, MHA mentioned. 

“Minnesota hospitals have gone from being a security web, to being a catch-all for affected person care,” mentioned Minnesota Hospital Affiliation CEO and President Rahul Koranne, M.D., M.B.A., in an announcement. “This can be a operate they have been by no means supposed for, can’t afford, and isn’t good for sufferers. This gridlock is stopping Minnesotans from getting care that their lives depend upon. Coverage makers should act.” 

These delays embody sufferers caught in hospital beds ready for transfers to nursing properties, rehabilitation models, psychological well being therapy amenities, and different sub-acute care amenities. The most recent survey additionally discovered hospitals offered 9,223 days of emergency division stays, typically folks caught ready for inpatient care, or just dropped at a hospital for lack of any various. These stays elevated waits for different sufferers who want care and compelled some sufferers to seek out different care elsewhere, with doubtlessly life-altering delay.

MHA additionally makes the case that this stage of unpaid care is unsustainable and is a root trigger of monetary misery for hospitals all around the nation, mixed with payers that don’t cowl the total prices of care, and fast-rising prices. Within the first half of 2023, 67 p.c of Minnesota hospitals reported working losses. Two hospitals lately closed in western Wisconsin. 

Koranne famous the Minnesota Division of Well being has already had three hearings on hospital service closures in January – half of the entire for all of final 12 months in Minnesota. “We’re at a essential level,” he mentioned. “Our hospitals are dealing with immense monetary strain. We want actual and rapid monetary help from the legislature within the coming weeks to forestall additional service or facility closures and to make sure entry to high quality well being take care of all Minnesotans.”