Discharge status indicates the circumstance surrounding the discharge or where the patient went after discharge from the hospital. Most discharges were routine in nature, but discharges to follow-on care were also frequent.

• The most common patient discharge status was routine (74 percent, or 29 million discharges), with the patient being sent home without closely supervised healthcare.
• Discharge to a long-term care facility (4.9 million discharges) was the second most common type of discharge, accounting for 12 percent of discharges.
• Discharge to the home with home healthcare supervision accounted for 9 percent (3.6 million discharges).
• Remaining discharge circumstances each accounted for 2 percent or less of discharges. These included in-hospital death or discharge to another short-term hospital, each with 0.8 million discharges, or discharge against medical advice (0.4 million discharges).

The number of discharges increased by 14 percent (up 4.9 million discharges) from 1997 to 2007, but growth varied by discharge status.

• The number of discharges to follow-on care in nursing homes and other rehabilitation facilities and to home care has increased as the average length of stay has fallen.
• The number of discharges to home healthcare grew by 55 percent (up 1.3 million discharges).
• Discharges to nursing homes and long term care increased by 32 percent (1.2 million discharges).
• The number of in-hospital deaths decreased by 10 percent (down 86,000 discharges).
• The number of patients who left the hospital against medical advice, although small, rose by 39 percent (up 103,700 discharges)—the second fastest increase of any discharge type.

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