MedPage Today (11/3, Chu) interviews Michael J. Gerardi, MD, the new president of the American College of Emergency Physicians, who said, “One of my major initiatives this year as president of this college is to tackle the psychiatric patient boarding problems in emergency departments.” Dr. Gerardi discussed the promise of the so-called Alameda model, saying, “The length-of-stay for admitted patients qualified for bed, about 25% of patients under twenty hours, which is phenomenal.”
Patients in these outpatient centers get started with intensive treatment earlier and are more satisfied. Such centers also “decompress the emergency department of these patients,” Dr. Gerardi explained.
Related Links:
— “Psych Boarding ACEP Top Priority,” Elbert Chu, MedPage Today, November 2, 2014.