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Upstate's Discharge Hospitality centers help improve hospital efficiency

The success of Upstate University Hospital's Discharge Hospitality centers (DHC) at helping improve hospital capacity has been featured in the journal American Nurse focusing on the implementation of Upstate’s first DHC at Upstate University Hospital.

The centers, located at Upstate University Hospital and Upstate Community Hospital, allow for a smoother exit for patients being discharged and therefore reduce wait times for those being admitted.

Authors Kyle Choquette, MSN, RN, and Rebecca Dwyer, MSN, RN, write that Upstate’s centers were part of a larger effort to address capacity issues and open up beds, an issue common at many hospitals today.

Since their inception in 2019 at the Downtown Campus and 2021 at Community Campus,

More than 12,000 patients have used the Discharge Hospitality centers since their inception (Downtown in 2019, Community in 2021), helping to save more than 450 bed days and more than 600 hours in the emergency departments, recovery rooms and psychiatric units. That means wait time for patients waiting for care in the ED or waiting for a bed from the ED have been reduced significantly.

“For patients, it’s all about efficiency,” said Choquette, associate director of nursing for throughput operations. “Every step we can take to improve efficiency helps get that next patient to the area they need to be so they can get the care they need.”

The lounges offer patients a quiet place to wait for their ride, their prescriptions or medical equipment all of which was formerly done in their rooms, which tied up beds unnecessarily. The centers are staffed with a registered nurse, allowing patients to go over discharge instructions again without the stress or noise of the hospital floor. Patients also enjoy comfortable chairs, a coffee bar and light refreshments, TV or a turn on the PlayStation.

Choquette and Dwyer were part of the interdisciplinary team that included physicians, nursing, pharmacy, case management and more that worked on creating the lounges. They work to continually make improvements to the DHCs. The lounge at the Downtown Campus is located on the second floor, just outside the cafeteria. At Community, it is on the first floor just inside the entrance.

The DHC is now part of the regular discharge process for eligible patients not only from inpatient units but also from One Day Surgery, patients awaiting transportation to short-term rehabilitation, ED and pediatric patients, those who’ve had an outpatient procedure, and those from the inpatient psychiatric unit.

The Upstate University Hospital lounge can accommodate 12 patients  and the Upstate Community Hospital lounge can accommodate six patients but most stay less than an hour so there are usually about four to five at a time in each DHC.

“It’s a very cozy setting,” said Dwyer, deputy director of nursing for operations. “Creating capacity is so important for all healthcare facilities. At Upstate University Hospital, we have some very specialized services that people can’t get elsewhere in the region. Creating capacity helps us be able to take those patients who can’t get care anywhere else, and it keeps thing flowing through the emergency departments.”

Choquette said that improved ED flow benefit extends into the community. For example, he said, many regional areas only have one ambulance service. If they have to wait at a full ED to unload a patient, they aren’t in their communities helping other patients in need. Freeing up beds helps those services get back to work, he said.

Read the American Nurse article here.

Caption: Kyle Choquette, MSN, RN, and Rebecca Dwyer, MSN, RN, standing in the Discharge Hospital Center in Upstate University Hospital, write in the journal American Nurse of the success the centers have on improving hospital efficiency.

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