While demand for health care services is consistently on the rise, Canadian hospitals are witnessing extensive patient flow problems. The unavailability of beds is causing admission departments to cancel elective surgeries and place emergency admissions in less appropriate units. The risks of reduced quality of care, reduced patient satisfaction and lost revenues are foreseeable. Many patients are staying past their prescribed acute care by extended periods (called Alternative Level of Care or ALC days) that are hard to predict. Thus, a considerable percentage of available beds is wasted....
While demand for health care services is consistently on the rise, Canadian hospitals are witnessing extensive patient flow problems. The unavailabili...
