ASSOCIATED RISKS
- Lawsuits and associated liabilities
- Mentally ill people often end up in jail or EDs without adequate treatment
- Patient violence due to high acuity of crisis
A behavioral health crisis facility was not able to operate profitably, causing a burden on the overall cost structure of the public behavioral health system. Law enforcement and emergency departments were unhappy due to high barriers to access. Further, the over-representation of people with mental illness in jails and officer-involved fatalities has led to the development of evidence-based models of community-wide crisis response. A central component is a mental health receiving facility that provides officers an alternative with minimal turnaround time and accepts all referrals regardless of diagnosis or financial status. The prevalence of these are increasing, however, many do not have the low barriers to access outlined in the CIT model, and highly acute patients still end up in jails or emergency departments.
CXNS Health Strategies leadership changed the way the facility was managed by creating an emphasis on customer service and implementing hospital-like processes and staffing patterns that were safer, more efficient, and better-matched to the acuity of the patient population needs. The facility was able to improve patient outcomes, reduce the burden on law enforcement, and provide care for five times as many patients at the same cost levels.