REDUCING INPATIENT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH READMISSIONS

High hospital readmission rates indicate inadequate facility performance, contributing to elevated healthcare costs resulting in an industry-wide effort to decrease the frequency. The objective of this paper is to perform a literature review to evaluate successful discharge practices and identify unutilized strategies which could be implemented within the organization to reduce the readmission rate. Findings suggest the variables most relevant to being discharged from an inpatient unit and maintaining psychiatric stability were associated with three areas. First, access to services that could assist with behavioral health and general life challenges, the need for social connection, and lastly, timely access to behavioral health services. The findings clearly show that the readmission rate is not only impacted by the facility's efforts but is tightly connected to the resources available to the patient upon discharge.