For those requiring inpatient care, trusts have protocols in place for treatment in existing psychiatric hospitals.

Only about 50 of the 1,300 patients in the county system require long-term inpatient care.

The policy states that "patients who require inpatient care must either be admitted or discharged as appropriate" within eight hours after entry into an emergency room.

In addition to a 24-hour emergency room and inpatient care, FMC has 57 outpatient clinics on site.

And Medicare imposes a 190-day lifetime limit for psychiatric hospital stays but none for general inpatient care.

To cut costs, they merged, closed wings, laid off workers and established outpatient clinics to divert patients from expensive emergency room and inpatient care.

Above all else, it is important that psychiatric inpatient care is based on a carefully coordinated policy, especially for patients at particular risk of suicide.

Usually, such patients are admitted to psychiatric inpatient care (see Chapter 7).

There must always be an opportunity for psychiatric inpatient care when required.

Over the last several years, pediatric groups have partnered to improve general understanding, reporting, process improvement methodologies, and quality of pediatric inpatient care.