ASSOCIATED RISKS
- Avoid inpatient admissions
- Avoid boarding psychiatric patients in emergency departments, a practice that is costly and unsafe
A small community was struggling with psychiatric boarding in its local emergency department. A local behavioral health clinic had opened a walk-in clinic to attempt to divert patients from boarding and inpatient admission. However, without an intermediate level of care, the clinic found itself admitting many patients who – with a little more time – could have been stabilized and discharged to the community.
Within 6 months:
The CXNS Health Strategies team successfully assisted in the design and development of a 23-hour observation unit. This serves as an alternative to the emergency department and jail, with a high rate of diversion from unnecessary inpatient admissions.