Creating Elasticity and Improving Handoffs Increases Throughput on an Emergency Psychiatry Service

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" Creating Elasticity and Improving Handoffs Increases Throughput on an Emergency Psychiatry Service "
Fein, David

Document Type	:	AL
Record Number	:	932860
Doc. No	:	LA56s2q6g4
Language of Document	:	English
Main Entry	:	Fein, David
Title & Author	:	Creating Elasticity and Improving Handoffs Increases Throughput on an Emergency Psychiatry Service [Article]\ Fein, David
Title of Periodical	:	Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health
Volume/ Issue Number	:	20/2
Date	:	2019
Abstract	:	Introduction: As the population of New Orleans continues to increase, psychiatric services at its main safety-net hospital, the relatively new University Medical Center New Orleans (UMCNO), have had to increase with it. At UMCNO, psychiatric patients in the emergency department (ED) are ideally managed in the behavioral health emergency room (BHER) until either admission, transfer, or discharge. The BHER holds 26 beds, but staffing limitations prevent all 26 from being open continuously. Historically, there are fewer discharges from inpatient psychiatric units citywide on weekends, which then causes overflow of the BHER into the main ED and slows throughput throughout the hospital. Because of this, elasticity in the system and effective reassessments by the emergency psychiatry consult service are key to minimizing lengths of stay and saturation events.