HASC’s Inland Empire office, along with the San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), recently received an achievement award for developing the 5150/5585 Data Platform to track behavioral health holds in emergency departments (EDs).
The National Association of Counties honors outstanding county government programs and services in 18 categories. HASC and DBH’s data platform received an award in the information technology category.
Launched in early 2022, the web-based platform is used to track involuntary psychiatric holds in EDs. The program began when HASC and DBH set out to collect data on involuntary 5150/5585 psychiatric holds at hospital EDs. (5150 refers to adult behavioral health crises and 5585 to children and youth).
For 5150/5585 patients, care is often better handled in settings other than EDs. HASC and DBH aimed to reduce the number of 5150/5585 holds by directing those patients to more suitable care settings while also easing ED patient loads.
At first, the hospitals collected data in spreadsheets, but the process was cumbersome and only two hospitals regularly took part. DBH and HASC then worked with San Bernardino County’s Innovation and Technology Department (ITD) to create a web-based data entry platform.
A Better Data Tracking Solution
The 5150/5585 Data Platform has greatly streamlined data collection. Another plus: It motivates use by providing hospitals the ability to review their own data any time. Since its launch in February 2022, the platform has shown major benefits:
- A 300% increase in hospital participation, with 13 hospitals now using the system
- Over 11,400 records submitted
- Greatly enhanced insights into psychiatric hospitalizations
- Positions the county to meet new state mental health data mandates
The platform uses existing DPH software licenses, enabling the project to avoiding additional software costs or external contracting. It provides crucial information for evidence-based decision-making, aiming to reduce unnecessary holds, decrease hospital wait times, and ensure patients receive optimal care.
“With the information gathered through the 5150/5585 Data Platform, we’re able to promote interventions that can lead to fewer psychiatric holds being written,” noted Megan Barajas, HASC’s regional vice president for the Inland Empire.
“In turn, fewer holds help direct patients to more appropriate settings to receive care. This reduces the number of patients on involuntary holds languishing in emergency rooms, especially in non-designated hospitals,” she said.
“This data also supports informed decision-making about existing programs, policies and training. It also helps efforts to increase inpatient capacity in the community, ultimately reducing the overall patient load and wait times in emergency rooms. It’s a win for both patients and hospitals,” Barajas concluded.
To learn more, contact the HASC Inland Empire office at (951) 316-9395.