Inpatients
Identifying Attributes
Care Settings
Hospital Care
Country
Canada
Publishing Organisation
Health Quality Council of Alberta
Type of Quality Indicator
Outcome
IOM Quality Dimension
Efficiency
Setting-Specific Domain
Service Delivery and Care Planning
Defining Attributes
Definition
The acute length of stay as a percentage shorter or longer than the expected/anticipated length of stay for Canadian acute care patients with similar disease complexity.
Numerator
Total number of acute days in hospital for acute care inpatients.
Denominator
Total number of expected inpatient days as determined by Case Mix Group Plus groupers from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).
Exclusions
Atypical inpatient cases, as determined by CIHI.
Use of Risk Adjustment
No
Risk Adjustments
Stratifications
By hospital and hospital type (large urban trauma, large urban, medium urban, children's).
Collection and Reporting Attributes
Type of Data Collection
Administrative data
Data Collection Methods
AHS Provincial Discharge Abstract Database (DAD)
Frequency of Data Collection
Monthly
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
30
Reporting Methods
Interactive infographic: focus.hqca.ca/charts/length-of-stay/
Reporting Frequency
Quarterly
Reporting Frequency in Days
91
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
No
Source and Reference Attributes
Evidence Source
Link to Measurement Tools
Domain
Resources
Quality Indicator Confirmed to be Part of a Program Used to Monitor Quality and Safety of Care Among Older People at a Population-Level between 2012-2022
Yes
Assessed by the Australian Consortium for Aged Care Collaborators as Generally Containing Good Properties (Importance and Scientific Acceptability)
No
Australian Consortium for Aged Care Endorsed
No
Can the Quality Indicator be Readily Implemented at a Population Level in Australia Given its Current Data Landscape?
Implementation of this quality indicator was not assessed.
Identified by PHARMA-Care Project
No
Upload Date
23 July 2025
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Date Modified 10 June 2026