Integrating medical and psychiatric treatment in an inpatient medical setting - The type IV program

This study compares the treatment of patients with comorbid medical and psy chiatric illness admitted to a high-acuity (Type IV) integrated medicine an d psychiatry inpatient program with patients having psychiatric symptoms on general internal medicine wards (IMWs). More patients in the Type IV progr am had agitation, suicidal ideation, or psychosis as psychiatric admission behaviors when compared to IMW patients. Medical symptom improvement was co mparable in the two settings, whereas, psychiatric symptoms improved pd mor e in the Type IV Program than on the IMWs despite more significant illness and comparable lengths stay Integrated care on the Type IV unit allowed sho rter total lengths of stay for medical patients with serious psychiatric il lness than would have occurred had the traditional sequential approach to c are been used The integrated Type IV medicine and psychiatry treatment prog ram represents an efficient and effective process improvement in the way th at medical patients with comorbid medical and psychiatric illness can be tr eated.