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To ease patients’ transition from hospital to home and address bed capacity issues, Mass General Brigham has created a discharge lounge. The lounge serves about 125 “medically cleared” patients who are waiting for their transportation, making this transition “seamless and stress-free.” It also allows care teams on inpatient floors to “facilitate earlier discharges and open beds to other patients sooner.”

On average, a patient spends about one hour in the discharge lounge before being picked up. While waiting, patients receive free meal vouchers, and the lounge staff will transport them to the on-site café to eat. The discharge lounge provides a care van service to patients who need additional support during discharge. Since November 2022, the care van has transported 500 patients.

The clinical team observes that “small interventions” like the discharge lounge can have a “big impact.” “Thanks to these initiatives, we have the opportunity to discharge patients sooner when appropriate, which leads to less backup in the emergency department,” said Tina Stone, associate chief nurse, case management, capacity coordination center, emergency services and psychiatry.

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