A hospitalist‐led short‐stay rehabilitation unit reduced inpatient discharge delays

Hospitalized patients requiring post-acute rehabilitation often remain in acute care while awaiting skilled nursing facility placement. In July 2023, the San Francisco VA Health Care System opened a hospitalist-led short-stay rehabilitation unit within its Community Living Center, called the Lotus. Mean referral-to-discharge time, excluding referral hold periods, decreased from 6.89 days in fiscal year (FY) 2023 to 4.58 days in FY2024 and 3.35 days in FY2025. The Lotus became the lowest-delay post-acute care destination and the facility's most frequently used individual rehabilitation destination. This model suggests hospitalist integration into post-acute care may improve hospital throughput without expanding post-acute bed capacity.