Alternate Level Of Care (ALC) Days

ALC is defined as when a physician (or designated other) has indicated that the patient occupying an acute care hospital bed is well enough to be cared for elsewhere and therefore they are awaiting admission to a Long Term Care, Designated Assisted Living (DAL) or Personal Care Home (PCH).

This indicator is designed to assess the processes that ensure the placement of patients in the most appropriate care setting. It identifies the proportion of patients who are occupying acute care beds due to the unavailability of services in another more appropriate setting. Maintaining a lower percent of ALC days requires aggressive management and placement of the most complex patients.

The following table presents the percentage of inpatient days in an acute care hospital that are used by patients waiting for access to an alternate level of care.

Percentage of Alternate Level of Care (ALC) Days by Year by Type of Hospital

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