Developing Additional Hospital Capacity at the Community Level

Hospitals in the United States are being challenged to provide the capacity for adult medicine and surgery care. The study suggested that the hospitals of Syracuse, New York have generated additional inpatient capacity through a number of efforts. One program involved moving some low severity of illness inpatient procedures to ambulatory care. A different approach has also avoided inpatient utilization by diverting incoming ambulances to different providers. The third program evaluated in the study, length of stay reduction, was a different type of initiative. It has generated additional inpatient capacity by reducing the amount of inpatient care provided. In effect, it has increased inpatient capacity by addressing the efficiency of care. These programs illustrate the potential for improving hospital capacity at the community level. Each of them was developed by acute care providers using local services.