Agency Aims to Reduce Wait Time for Inpatient Care
The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) today announced the launch of a
new bed tracking system that will improve the way information about
inpatient bed availability is collected and maintained statewide.
The Bed Availability System (BAS) will expect all hospitals in New
York State to report psychiatric inpatient bed availability twice daily.
OMH Field Offices, County Mental Health Directors and all general
hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, and OMH State-operated hospitals will
have access to the search tool for immediate, up-to-date information.
“The Office of Mental Health is constantly examining our psychiatric
bed availability and working to improve accessibility and reduce wait
times for inpatient care,” said OMH Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan. “The
Bed Availability System will improve data collection to highlight where
beds are available and where the need is the greatest. It’s a system
that has far-reaching benefits for the entire mental health system and
is expected to reduce the wait time for individuals who need the
intensive level of care that inpatient treatment provides.”
To help facilitate implementation of the new system, OMH was recently
awarded a $150,000 grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and National Association of
State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD). OMH plans to use the
funding to provide in-person training and remote assistance to hospital
staff to complete and maintain the BAS. Individual assistance will be
available to each hospital statewide to assure sufficient staff are
trained and have access to the BAS application.
Previously, OMH has maintained a voluntary bed reporting system
called the “Available Beds Reporting System” (ABRS). ABRS has been used
by hospital emergency departments and OMH Field Office Staff, as well
as County Local Mental Hygiene Directors, to locate available inpatient
beds for patients in need of placement. However, reporting often proved
to be sporadic, leading to unreliable data.
The BAS launched March 1, 2019 after a successful 3-week pilot of the
system in September 2018. The system was patterned after the bed
availability tool implemented by the NYS Office of Alcoholism and
Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) in 2015. The BAS will be located on the
Health Electronic Response Data System (HERDS), a component of the
Health Commerce System managed by the NYS Department of Health (DOH).
“Accurate data on psychiatric inpatient bed availability will enhance
providers’ ability to improve the timelines of admissions and help
decrease the length of stay in less optimal settings, such as emergency
departments,” said Bea Grause, R.N., J.D., President of the Healthcare
Association of New York State. “HANYS looks forward to working with OMH
on the BAS to assist our members and patients.”
“New York’s hospital community appreciates OMH’s effort to address
our concerns about locating scare psychiatric beds for individuals
requiring inpatient care,” said Greater New York Hospital Association
President Kenneth E. Raske. “The Bed Availability System will help our
member hospitals identify these vital services in a timely manner. We
thank OMH for their leadership on this important issue.”
Source: The New York State Office of Mental Health
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