The proportion of days a patient was assigned to the alternate level of care (ALC) patient service.
ALC patients are those who no longer need acute care services but continue to occupy an acute care bed or use acute care resources while waiting to be discharged to a more appropriate care setting.
The proportion of days a patient was assigned to the ALC patient service in a hospital.
Given the implications for patient care being delivered in an appropriate setting and the potential impact on resource use, a small number is desirable.
Data availability: (fiscal years)
Geographic coverage
All provinces/territories except Quebec
Reporting level
Province/Territory, Region, Facility
Calculation
The total number of days spent in ALC divided by the total length of hospital stay, multiplied by 100
Denominator
Sum of the total days spent in hospital (total length of stay [LOS])
Numerator
Sum of the total ALC LOS days