What metric represents the average number of patient days per discharge?

The metric that represents the average number of patient days per discharge is known as Average Length of Stay (ALOS). This metric is crucial in healthcare management as it helps to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of hospital operations. ALOS is calculated by dividing the total patient days by the number of discharges over a specific period. It indicates the typical duration that a patient spends in the hospital before being discharged.

Understanding ALOS is essential because it reflects how effectively a hospital can manage patient care, optimize resource allocation, and control costs. A lower ALOS may indicate efficient care but could also suggest premature discharges, while a higher ALOS could reflect more complex cases or inefficient processes.

In contrast, Total Patient Days refers to the cumulative number of days patients stay in the facility over a certain time frame without providing insight into the average stay per discharge. Bed Utilization Rate measures the percentage of available beds that are occupied, which does not focus on the duration of stay for each patient. Patient Turnover Rate indicates how often patients are admitted and discharged within a given time but also does not look at the length of stay for those patients.