As a result of these developments, emergency psychiatry is evolving into a desirable and rapidly growing subspecialty that’s attracting both psychiatric and EM physicians. Large medical groups and care systems are now beginning to see the value of adding an emergency psychiatry practice line to their integrated care strategies.

Dr. Zeller is vice president and head of the Acute Psychiatric Medicine division of the 2,000-physician partnership CEP America. For 20 years, he was chief of psychiatric emergency services for the Alameda Health System in Oakland, California. He is past president of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry.

Dr. Mao is R&D senior manager for program development at MedAmerica. She has worked in strategy consulting in the private sector and in federal health policy and pubic health. She previously worked at the Monitor Group of Deloitte Consulting and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

References

1. Weiss AP, Chang G, Rauch SL, et al. Patient- and practice-related determinants of emergency department length of stay for patients with psychiatric illness. Ann Emerg Med. 2012;60(2):162-171.
2. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The Business Case for Preventing and Reducing Restraint and Seclusion Use. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 11-4632. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; 2011.
3. American College of Emergency Physicians. ACEP Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Survey. Irving, TX: American College of Emergency Physicians; 2008.
4. Zeller S, Calma N, Stone A. Effects of a dedicated regional psychiatric emergency service on boarding of psychiatric patients in area emergency departments. West J Emerg Med. 2014;15(1):1-6.
5. Deslich S, Stec B, Tomblin S, et al. Telepsychiatry in the 21st century: transforming healthcare with technology. Perspect Health Inf Manag. 2013;10(Summer):1f.