title: Impact of closure of mental health center: emergency department utilization and length of stay among patients with severe mental illness.
abstract: This paper demonstrates the impact of closure of a local mental health center on patients who suffer from severe mental illness. The authors analyze electronic health record data to show that these patients not only use emergency department services more than the general medical population, but also experience an increased length of stay in the emergency department.
authors.affiliation: Epic Care Clinical Information Physician, Verona, WI 53593, USA. dlittle@epic.com
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Little
authors.forename: Mark Edward
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Clasen
authors.forename: Jasmine L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hendricks
authors.forename: Issa Anthony
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Walker
mesh_terms: D057286:Electronic Health Records; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006271:Health Facility Closure; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index