Discharge planning can be challenging for all hospitals, but for those coordinating behavioral health patients, it can be especially difficult. [Becker's Behavioral Health]

Leaders told Becker’s that behavioral health patients often face worse barriers to aftercare than traditional medical patients. Some patients need to be discharged to group home facilities, many of which do not accept patients with extensive behavioral health histories. Many patients require assistance beyond medical care, including food and housing assistance. All of these barriers, and more, make discharge planning tricky as hospitals work to move patients to a lower level of care.

“Discharge planning should be viewed as a continuation of care, not a conclusion,” Stacey Romero, director of behavioral health and clinical integrated services at Santa Fe, N.M.-based Presbyterian Medical Services, told Becker’s. “The goal is to set patients up for long-term stability and recovery. If we see it as a conclusion, we’re not leaving space for patients to continue their journey.”

Here, leaders at six hospitals across the nation share their best practices for behavioral health discharges.

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