Average hospital length of stay rose 19.2% from 2019 to 2022, according to Strata Decision Technology data published by the American Hospital Association.
19.2%
rise in average length of stay, 2019 to 2022
Average hospital length of stay rose 19.2% from 2019 to 2022, according to Strata Decision Technology data published by the American Hospital Association.
For patients discharged to post-acute care, the rise was nearly 24%.
Source: Patients and Providers Faced with Increasing Delays in Timely Discharges (issue brief) (opens in a new tab), p. 1. Verified October 2026.
Related charts
- From the blog
Length of stay rose most for patients going to psychiatric hospitals or skilled nursing
American Hospital Association, Increasing Delays in Timely Discharges issue brief (December 2022) - From the blog
Finding a place that would take the patient caused the most discharge delay days
HANYS, The scope of complex case discharge delays in New York state (2023) - From the blog
At the median TEAM hospital, the hospital stay uses 38% to 70% of the target, by surgery
Kent Applied, TEAM position report and method; CMS, TEAM PY1 preliminary target prices; CMS, Medicare Inpatient Hospitals by Provider and Service, 2024; CMS, TEAM episode construction specifications; CMS, payment standardization method; CMS, TEAM model page - From research
Hospital drug expenses grew 13.6% in 2025, nearly twice as fast as total expenses
American Hospital Association, Costs of Caring 2026 (March 2026)
Sources for the figures above: American Hospital Association, Increasing Delays in Timely Discharges issue brief (December 2022) (opens in a new tab); HANYS, The scope of complex case discharge delays in New York state (2023) (opens in a new tab); American Hospital Association, Costs of Caring 2026 (March 2026) (opens in a new tab).
Related facts
20.2%
rise in average length of stay for patients going to skilled nursing, 2019 to 2022, case-mix adjusted
Adjusted for case mix, the average hospital stay for patients discharged to skilled nursing facilities got 20.2% longer from 2019 to 2022, the American Hospital Association reported.
Source: Patients and Providers Faced with Increasing Delays in Timely Discharges (issue brief).
KentApplied35,625
inpatient delay days where finding the patient's next place of care was a cause
In HANYS's 2022 pilot, finding a placement setting, somewhere for the patient to go after the hospital, was a cause in 35,625 inpatient discharge delay days, more than any other cause.
Source: The scope of complex case discharge delays in New York state.
KentApplied$169M
estimated cost of discharge delays at 52 hospitals in one quarter
HANYS found that 52 New York hospitals reported about 60,000 discharge delay days and $169 million in estimated costs from April to June 2022.
Source: The scope of complex case discharge delays in New York state.
KentApplied
Sources for the figures above: American Hospital Association, Increasing Delays in Timely Discharges issue brief (December 2022) (opens in a new tab); HANYS, The scope of complex case discharge delays in New York state (2023) (opens in a new tab).
Book a 20-minute call
If a number like this one matters to your organization, talk it through with Tyler Kent.
Prefer to skip the call? Get a written proposal
Or email tyler@kentapplied.com.