Study says hospitals discharging patients early to increase profits

A pair of studies showed hospitals could be discharging patients before they are actually healthy enough to leave. These studies from the University of Maryland looked at patient movement at a large academic hospital in the United States. The results show that the fuller a hospital is when a patient is discharged, the more likely they are to have to come back and be re-admitted. Patients let out when the hospital was busiest were 50 percent more likely to be back in within three days. The researchers said this problem is more likely at large regional hospitals and doesn't happen as often in smaller communities.