Average Length of Stay
Date created: Oct 12, 2022 • Last updated: Oct 12, 2022
What is Average Length of Stay?
Average Length of Stay is a key healthcare industry indicator. Monitoring this metric will help you determine where and when to make changes to improve efficiency. It can vary depending on the type of facility and treatments offered at the facility. It is typically measured in days where partial days are rounded up to the next full day.
Average Length of Stay Formula
How to calculate Average Length of Stay
Example A, a healthcare facility has 4 patients in the month of April: Patient A arrives April 2 and leaves April 4 = 3 day stay Patient B arrives April 2 and leaves April 3 = 2 day stay Patient C arrives April 15 and leaves the same day = 1 day stay Patient D arrives April 16 and leaves April 23 = 8 day stay The Average Length of Stay is (3 + 2 + 1 + 8 ) days / 4 patient stays = 14 / 4 = 3.5 days Example B, a healthcare facility has 4 influenza patients in the month of February: Patient A (age 70) arrives February 2 and leaves February 4 = 3 day stay Patient B (age 63) arrives February 2 and leaves February 3 = 2 day stay Patient C (age 40) arrives February 15 and leaves the same day = 1 day stay Patient D (age 74) arrives February 16 and leaves February 23 = 8 day stay The Average Length of Stay for the <65 age group is (2 + 1) days / 2 patient stays = 3 / 2 = 1.5 days The Average Length of Stay for the 65+ age group is (3 + 8) days / 2 patient stays = 11 / 2 = 5.5 days
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How to visualize Average Length of Stay?
Use a summary chart to visualize your Average Length of Stay data and compare it to a previous time period.
Average Length of Stay visualization example
Summary Chart
Average Length of Stay
Chart
Measuring Average Length of StayMore about Average Length of Stay
Average Length of Stay is calculated by summing the number of days for all stays (where partial days, including non-overnight stays, are rounded up to the next full day) and dividing by the number of patients. This metric may be segmented according to condition, treatment or demographic to take into consideration factors that can affect length of stay.
Metric Toolkit
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