Barriers to acute care discharge from an urban center before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Timely discharge of medically ready acute care patients reduces strain on hospital resources and limits patient exposure to iatrogenic harm. The increased need for acute care beds during various stages of the COVID-19 pandemic has made addressing barriers to timely discharge even more critical. The aim of this study was to analyze discharge barriers and hospital length of stay (LOS) before vs.