A plan to reduce emergency room 'boarding' of psychiatric patients

Abstract

Overcrowded U.S. emergency rooms have become a place of last resort for psychiatric patients. Psychiatric boarding, defined as psychiatric patients' waiting in hallways or other emergency room areas for inpatient beds, is a serious problem nationwide. Boarding consumes scarce emergency room resources and prolongs the amount of time that all patients must spend waiting for services. It is often the result of an inability to gain timely access to community-based care. As policy makers implement the new health reform law, improving access and continuity of community mental health care through health homes must be a priority. We present a seven-point plan to address psychiatric boarding.