Hospital Discharge Status

Discharge from a hospital to short- or long-term care is a major healthcare cost. The frequency of this increases significantly with age, and is more likely to occur with an AORC diagnosis than for all causes of hospitalization. One in eight people age 45 to 64 years discharged from a hospital with a diagnosis of an AORC is sent to intermediate-term or skilled nursing care. This increases to one in four for persons aged 65 to 74 years, and two in five for ages 75 years and older. The most likely AORC to result in nursing care is a soft tissue disorder, but all causes of AORC result in nursing home care for 35% or more of discharges among patients aged 75 years and older. (Reference Table 9B.4.3 PDF [1] CSV [2])