Uniform Hospital Discharge Data Set

The doctor will discharge the patient from the hospital once they have fully recovered.

Discharge from the hospital is the point at which the patient leaves the hospital and either returns home or is transferred to another facility such as one for rehabilitation or to a nursing home.

Discharge can be a verb or a noun.

"We did not know when they would discharge him from the hospital" uses "discharge" as a verb.

"Watch for increased inflammation or any discharge" uses "discharge" as a noun.

The discharge time, regardless of how long a person has been in a hospital, is when the physician writes the order. The time between the doctor writing the discharge order, and you getting the discharge orders and instructions (from the nurse) varies, depending on how busy the staff is.