NRI, a national leader in disseminating data, research, and information on the public mental health system, released a consolidated report, Characteristics of State-Operated or Supported Psychiatric Hospital Inpatient Care, which provides information on staffing, revenues, expenditures, and characteristics of hospitals and individuals served.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 199 psychiatric hospitals included in the report served 141,168 individuals in one year.  Characteristics of individuals receiving inpatient mental health services are based on person-level records, providing an unprecedented complete enumeration of individuals served within the psychiatric and forensic inpatient settings.  Key indicators in the report are stratified by clinical focus area of the treatment units: youth psychiatry, adult psychiatry, and forensic services, and include hospital demographics (bed size, units, and census); patient demographics and diagnosis profiles (mental health, substance use, and medical comorbidities); and lengths of stay analyses.  Trends in gross and per capita fiscal data are also presented. 

"Public mental health systems have strived to exhibit accountability and transparency," states Program Director Lucille Schacht, Ph.D.  "Systems tend to serve individuals with serious mental disorders who cannot afford treatment in private psychiatric hospitals or who present a danger to themselves or others; thus utilizing a significant level of public dollars. This report is a demonstration of States' commitment to provide the public with information on the systems of care for individuals with severe mental disorders."

The research finds that nearly 80% of episodes of care in 2010 were for individuals discharged during the year. Among individuals discharged, length of hospitalization averaged 39 days for youth and 33 days for adults. The high discharge rate and shorter lengths of stay indicate that state psychiatric hospitals provide more acute care services for non-forensic populations. While forensic individuals represented only 18% of total episodes of care, the discharge rate was considerably lower at 55% and consumed 38% of total days of care.  State psychiatric hospitals thus serve this critical role for public safety and provide timely, short-term care when appropriate.

Purchase the report Characteristics of State-Operated or Supported Psychiatric Hospital Inpatient Care today.

About NRI

NRI, a 501 [c] [3] organization, maintains extensive longitudinal information including profiles and audited revenues and expenditures of each State Mental Health Authority, inpatient psychiatric databases, and performance benchmarks.

Contact:
Vera Hollen
National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors Research Institute, Inc. (NRI)
Phone:   703.738.8165
Email:  Vera.Hollen@NRI-Inc.org
www.NRI-Inc.org

SOURCE NASMHPD Research Institute, Inc. (NRI)