Hospitals requiring inpatient psychiatric coverage often have to rely on community-based clinicians for care. This frequently results in fragmented clinical programs with challenges to consistent physician availability and scheduling. Call coverage is also frequently affected, and hospitals are often forced to cap census or rely on expensive locum clinicians to provide care. To ensure greater continuity and improve the overall care experience, a Texas-based regional health system partnered with TeamHealth to develop a new model of inpatient psychiatric care.
“Our work with a major regional health system client in Texas helped them meet their goals and leverage innovative ways of providing care for behavioral health patients.” – Daniel Sussman, MD
Stability in Inpatient Psychiatric Coverage
This new approach to providing stable, hospital-based inpatient psychiatric care is similar to the medical hospitalist model of care that is now the standard in hospitals across the country. The system trusted TeamHealth to develop an acute inpatient psychiatry service for their behavioral health programs based on an already successful emergency medicine partnership. Accepting the challenge, the TeamHealth recruiting team fully staffed 22 full-time equivalent team members, including 11 full-time specialists, six full-time psychiatric certified advanced practice clinical (APC) professionals and additional part-time clinicians to provide weekend and holiday coverage.
Learn how the collaborative effort improved inpatient psychiatric coverage and the results of building a robust program for patients needing psychiatric evaluation and care. Download the full case study below to learn more and connect with our team for more information on how TeamHealth can support your facility, patients and community.