What does LACE stand for in the Lace Assessment tool?

• A. Length of Arrivals, Acuity, Comorbidity, ED Wait Time
• B. Life Expectancy, Admission Type, Chronic Conditions, Emergency Contact
• C. Length and Cost, Age, Chronic Illness, Emergency Department Visits
• D. Length of Stay, Acuity of Admission, Comorbidity, Emergency Department Visits.

Answer: (D)

LACE is a risk-prediction score used after discharge to estimate a patient’s likelihood of being readmitted or dying within a short window, typically 30 days. The four factors it uses are Length of Stay in the hospital, Acuity of the admission (how urgent or emergent the admission was), Comorbidity burden (overall chronic disease load), and Emergency Department visits in the recent past. Each component contributes to the total score, with higher values indicating greater risk, which helps healthcare teams target post-discharge planning and follow-up.

The correct phrase maps precisely to those four elements. The other options mix terms that aren’t part of the LACE framework, such as measurements of arrivals, wait times, life expectancy, emergency contacts, or age-related costs, which is why they don’t fit.