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News Release March 15, 2007
Study sheds new light on Twin Cities' mental health care crisis
Hospitals, state and metro counties collaborate on 3-month study
St. Paul, Minn. – A new study by major Twin Cities hospitals and the Anoka County Metro Regional Treatment Center found that 40 to 50 ER patients per month are unnecessarily admitted to metro area hospitals because they do not have access to less intensive resources. An additional 250 patients per month spend unnecessary time in inpatient psychiatric units because of a lack of residential treatment beds or other alternatives. According to estimates by hospitals, this adds up to more than $24 million in costs to the system annually.
"There is bottleneck in the system," said Michael Trangle, M.D., associate medical director of behavioral health for HealthPartners. "Our hospitals' emergency departments have become waiting rooms for patients experiencing a mental health crisis, and our inpatient psychiatry units and regional treatment center are treating patients who in many cases could be more properly cared for in less-acute care settings."
The three-month study, conducted last fall, found that among the 40 to 50 patients per month who use emergency room services because they lack access to less intensive resources:
- 35 percent lack 24/7 medical and behavioral health services or intensive residential treatment services.
- 23 percent lack substance abuse services, such as detox and chemical dependency with lodging.
- 10 percent lack access to the provider who prescribed medication.
Furthermore, patients admitted to inpatient psychiatric units would spend less time in the hospital if adequate intermediate options, such as intensive residential treatment beds, were available. As many 240 to 250 patients per month have "non-acute" days in the hospital. This adds up 2,000 to 2,100 "non-acute" days in the hospital per month.
Similarly, data collected from the Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center show that 88 patients per month have "non-acute" days. This adds up to an average of more than 1,700 "non-acute" days per month. The study shows that more than one-half of these patients could be appropriately cared for is adequate services were available to providing both medical and behavioral health nursing or corporate foster care.
"We could potentially treat up to 2,733 more patients per year in our metro community hospitals and 344 patients per year in the Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center if we were to devote adequate resources to intermediate care services in the community," said Paul Goering, medical director, department of psychiatry, United Hospital. "More than $1.2 billion is spent each year on mental health services in Minnesota, yet the system fails to meet the needs of people with mental illness. We must do more."
The results of the study identify the need to create a work group with representatives from hospitals, state agencies, substance abuse services, intensive residential treatment services, nursing homes, and supported housing to develop practical recommendations of how to fill the gaps.
"There are proposals moving through the legislature right now that can help address these issues," said Dr. Trangle. "It's imperative that lawmakers adequately fund these measures, including community treatment alternatives, housing and crisis care, so that we can provide patients with the most appropriate level of care and alleviate bottlenecks in the system."
About the study
The Twin Cities Psychiatric Patient Flow study was recommended by community leaders at the Roundtable Discussion on Behavioral Health held last spring. The study includes all Twin Cities hospitals that have both inpatient and emergency psychiatric departments and Anoka County Regional Treatment Center, which provides longer-term inpatient psychiatric care. Leaders from the Minnesota Department of Human Services and all seven metro county social services also contributed.
Organizations participating in the study included:
- Abbott-Northwestern Hospital
- Anoka County Social Services
- Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center
- Carver County Social Services
- Dakota County Social Services
- Fairview Hospital Systems
- Hennepin County Medical Center
- Hennepin County Social Services
- Mercy Hospital
- Minnesota Department of Human Services
- North Memorial Hospital
- Ramsey County Social Services
- Regions Hospital
- Scott County Social Services
- St. John's Hospital
- St. Joseph's Hospital
- United Hospital
- Washington County Social Services
- Woodwinds Health Campus
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