Real-world testing
A team led by the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and two area hospitals is testing the APA model by using it to calculate the number of beds needed in their community.
“Because the model is focused on the continuum of care services, it allows communities to try to focus on what is the right mix of services needed to try to reduce the need for in-patient hospitalization and measure the impact of development of resources across the continuum, including inpatient beds, to try to achieve the right mix,” Gregory Dalack, MD, chair of the department of psychiatry at the University of Michigan Health System, told this news organization.
Ultimately, Dr. Dalack expects that the model will tell the team something they already know: that additional psychiatric beds are needed in their community.
However, meeting the needs of patients and families is not just about beds, he noted. The model will help provide a fuller picture of psychiatric care and will take into account existing services from many aspects of the care field.
“If we put all the focus just on hospital beds, we are only addressing one part of the challenge,” Dr. Dalack said.
The challenge is also about “identifying what resources/services are already in the continuum of care, where expansion of those or development of new programs might be needed, and what the impact is on the system, particularly with folks who arrive in the emergency room who might need inpatient admission,” he added.
Dr. Everett said the APA leadership team is now actively recruiting others to test the model in their communities, which will help to calibrate the system.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.