Study: Length of Hospital Stay Has Minimal Impact on Cost

CONCLUSIONS
For most patients, the costs directly attributable to the last day of a hospital stay are an economically insignificant component of total costs. Reducing LOS by as much as 1 full day reduces the total cost of care on average by 3% or less. Going forward, physicians and administrators must deemphasize LOS and focus instead on process changes that better use capacity and alter care delivery during the early stages of admission, when resource consumption is most intense.