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Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research

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01-05-2015 | Original Article

The Effects of State Psychiatric Hospital Waitlist Policies on Length of Stay and Time to Readmission

Authors: Elizabeth Holdsworth La, Ruoqing Zhu, Kristen Hassmiller Lich, Alan R. Ellis, Marvin S. Swartz, Michael R. Kosorok, Joseph P. Morrissey

Published in: Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research | Issue 3/2015

Abstract

This study examined the effects of a waitlist policy for state psychiatric hospitals on length of stay and time to readmission using data from North Carolina for 2004–2010. Cox proportional hazards models tested the hypothesis that patients were discharged “quicker-but-sicker” post-waitlist, as hospitals struggled to manage admission delays and quickly admit waitlisted patients. Results refute this hypothesis, indicating that waitlists were associated with increased length of stay and time to readmission. Further research is needed to evaluate patients’ clinical outcomes directly and to examine the impact of state hospital waitlists in other areas, such as state hospital case mix, local emergency departments, and outpatient mental health agencies.

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Title: The Effects of State Psychiatric Hospital Waitlist Policies on Length of Stay and Time to Readmission
Authors: Elizabeth Holdsworth La
Ruoqing Zhu
Kristen Hassmiller Lich
Alan R. Ellis
Marvin S. Swartz
Michael R. Kosorok
Joseph P. Morrissey
Publication date: 01-05-2015
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research / Issue 3/2015
Print ISSN: 0894-587X
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3289
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-014-0573-1

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The Effects of State Psychiatric Hospital Waitlist Policies on Length of Stay and Time to Readmission

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