SE Texas ER & Hospital in Humble, Texas, has announced it will incorporate 24/7 behavioural health services alongside emergency care.
The initiative aims to expand the hospital's reach and address crucial needs in traditional emergency rooms (ERs).
Through a secure Telehealth platform, the hospital will partner with psychiatric providers to offer psychiatric evaluations to patients in the ER.
After their evaluation, patients will receive personalised treatment plans, including psychiatric interventions, in the ER if necessary.
This approach aims to reduce boarding times, which have historically been a major issue in ERs.
SE Texas ER & Hospital will be able to provide specialised treatment for adult and adolescent patients with acute psychiatric needs in the ER.
The initiative will be carried out by Nutex Health, the healthcare delivery system that owns SE Texas ER & Hospital.
Nutex Health chairman and CEO Tom Vo said: “Currently, these patients would have to wait hours or days to be seen by a psychiatric provider, causing major disruption to both the patients’ lives as well as the emergency departments.
“With our model, among the first in the country, these patients will be seen in real time by a psychiatric provider in addition to the ER physician.
“This treatment combination allows these patients to be treated and discharged with follow-up directly from the ER, unlike most other current behavioural health patients.”
SE Texas ER & Hospital chief medical officer Michael Chang said: “Nutex is going to fill a large community need for mental health intervention with these new services.
“I’m thrilled that we now provide acute, expedient and individualised mental health care in a setting where the patient is comfortable.
“This initiative was implemented with our patient-first philosophy at the centre.”
Nutex Health’s Hospital Division owns and operates 22 facilities in eight US states.
The company's Population Health Management Division runs provider networks such as independent physician associations.
