A Clogged System: Keeping Patients Moving Through their Care Journey

Across the nation, hospital wait times are up and access to care is threatened.
In Massachusetts, a leading contributor to this problem is the fact that nearly one out of every seven
medical-surgical beds (or 15% of those in the state) is currently “tied-up.” That is, they are occupied by
patients who no longer need to be in an acute care hospital. These patients – approximately 1,200 in the
commonwealth – are “stuck” in hospital beds as they await discharge to a post-acute care facility (such as a nursing home
or rehabilitation hospital), a community based-setting (such as an assisted living residence, group home, or home), or a
psychiatric unit. At the same time, post-acute providers themselves face backups due to limited community-based
resources and support systems that help transition patients home.