Effect of a Virtual Patient Navigation Program on Behavioral Health Admissions in the Emergency Department: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The number of patients presenting to emergency departments (EDs) for psychiatric care continues to increase. Psychiatrists often make a conservative recommendation to admit patients because robust outpatient services for close follow-up are lacking.

Objective: To assess whether the availability of a 45-day behavioral health-virtual patient navigation program decreases hospitalization among patients presenting to the ED with a behavioral health crisis or need.

Highlight in Telepsychiatry and Behavioral Health Emergencies.

Carolinas HealthCare System is one of the largest freestanding psychiatric emergency departments in the country. It has grown from a small community mental health center in the 1930s, to one of the largest providers of emergency mental health services in the country. It offers services in person and via telepsychiatry to other emergency departments and primary care clinics.