After years of high length-of-stay averages, hospitals are reporting significant length-of-stay reductions.
Length of stay is a key performance indicator used by hospitals to measure how long a single patient’s admission lasts. Calculated from the day of admission to the day of discharge, LOS is influenced by factors including comorbidities, patient acuity, case mix, hospital quality, staffing levels, discharge destination and insurance status.
LOS is used to assess efficiency and effectiveness of care. Shorter stays are often associated with better resource utilization, cost control, patient throughput and increased profitability. Managing LOS is complex and requires coordination across patient status tracking, utilization management, care transitions and discharge planning.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, LOS has risen and remained high for many years. The average hospital stay increased 19% overall in 2022 compared with pre-pandemic levels. The average LOS also increased 24% for patients discharged to post-acute care and 29% for patients being discharged to psychiatric hospitals, according to the American Hospital Association.
In 2023, U.S hospitals had an average LOS of 4.5 days, Definitive Healthcare found. However, in the last year, hospitals have reported significant drops in LOS metrics.
Here is what to know about length of stay in 2026
1. Between the fourth quarters of 2024 and 2025, emergency department length of stay decreased 13.4% even as volumes grew 4.2% and patient acuity rose, a May 6 Vizient report found.
2. Between the first quarter of 2023 and the fourth quarter of 2025, average LOS fell 38% in community hospital EDs and decreased 23% at academic medical center EDs, according to Vizient.
3. At the end of 2025, Kaufman Hall’s “National Hospital Flash Report” found that hospitals are operating with an 8% shorter average length of stay in October 2025 relative to 2022.
4. In January, the Connecticut College of Emergency Physicians launched a public dashboard featuring emergency department boarding data from hospitals across the state. The dashboard shows 2024 hospital boarding statistics, including total patients treated and admitted, average wait times and boarding percentages. In 2023, Connecticut became the first state to pass legislation requiring hospitals to report ED boarding data annually through 2029.
5. Emergency department boarding, the practice of holding admitted patients in the ED while they wait for an inpatient bed, has risen in both volume and hours of waiting. More than 25% of patients waited four hours or more for a bed in the last three years, and during peak winter months it rose to 35%.
6. Admitted patients boarding in the emergency department often wait hours for an inpatient team to take over their care, a recent study found. Of nearly 492,000 patients admitted to general medical services, more than 17% of admitted patients, or about 85,000, went at least four hours with no inpatient team managing their care. Nearly 23,000 waited 12 hours or more, and about 4,500 waited 24 hours or longer. Admissions at academic hospitals were more than three times as likely to hit the four-hour mark and more than seven times as likely to reach 12 hours, versus community hospitals.
7. Several systems have prioritized cutting length of stay metrics to optimize care amid financial and volume challenges. Memphis, Tenn.-based Baptist Memorial Health Care reduced its average observed-to-expected length of stay by 14% and served more ED patients by redesigning patient flow as an enterprisewide operational capability.
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.
