ED Behavioral Health Support
Round‑the‑clock psychiatric coverage for your emergency department
Get the psychiatric support your ED team needs with PMC Crisis Services. Tailored to your ED volume, timely coverage helps connect patients to the appropriate level of care, reducing length of stay and supporting ED staff.
The outcomes behind 8,000+ cases
The problem
When a behavioral health patient boards, your ED carries the work
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Today, without coverage
Beds stay occupied
Behavioral health patients board for hours or even days without a psychiatric assessment or a clear next step.
With PMC Crisis Services
Assessments in less than 60 minutes
A board-certified PMC provider assesses the patient within the hour, so the case gets to the next step faster.
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Today, without coverage
Staff absorb the calls
Without psychiatric coverage, placement coordination falls to whoever is available.
With PMC Crisis Services
PMC handles placement coordination
Care coordinators make the calls until a bed is confirmed, not until a shift ends.
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Today, without coverage
Physicians decide alone
ED physicians make disposition decisions outside their clinical training, without a psychiatric consult.
With PMC Crisis Services
Providers work with your ED team
PMC psychiatric providers collaborate with the ED physician and nursing team on disposition.
The program
PMC supports the case from assessment through placement
PMC integrates directly into your ED workflow. One call initiates the case. PMC manages it through confirmed placement.
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When a behavioral health patient arrives in the ER, nursing staff initiates a psychiatric consultation through PMC, a request that only takes minutes in the middle of a busy shift.
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A board-certified PMC psychiatric provider responds and conducts a telehealth assessment of the patient. They’ll provide a clinical evaluation, disposition recommendation, and medication review.
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PMC’s provider collaborates with the ED physician and nursing team to make appropriate decisions regarding the patient’s disposition and medications.
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If a higher level of care is needed, including inpatient admission, PMC’s care coordinators take over, identifying locations for transfer and securing placement. This saves hospital staff valuable time, reducing stress and burnout.
PMC's prompt response times, thorough patient assessments, and the countless calls and coordination efforts to secure appropriate inpatient placements for patients in need are truly appreciated. The dedication and compassion your staff demonstrate make a meaningful difference for our patients and our healthcare partners.
Ready to take the next step?
Let’s take the boarding burden off your ED.
Talk with our crisis services team about coverage, placement and what going live looks like for your hospital.
Why PMC
Why PMC Crisis Services
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Placement persistence
PMC’s Care Coordinators own placement, calling until a bed is secured, so your nursing staff carry none of it.
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Reduce Your Team’s Workload
PMC fits your existing ED workflow. Once live, your team’s involvement is one call per case.
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Available for reassessments, not just initial consults.
Providers reassess patients whose condition has shifted, supporting your ED through the whole case, not just intake.
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Fixed-cost care for fluctuating volumes.
A predictable fee with no volume penalty, so your team can call a consult without weighing the cost.
One partner as your behavioral health strategy grows
- Inpatient Unit Management
- Geriatric Behavioral Health
- Outpatient Care Services
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ED Support & Placement (you are here)
Frequently asked questions
PMC’s providers can be reached any time of day or night and will see the patient within 60 minutes of receiving a request for assessment.
Most patients would be seen within 60 minutes during low or average volume periods. It’s rare that we exceed that time range. Our contracts require an average response rate of 120 minutes or less, which we fulfill.
When a higher-level of care is required, PMC’s crisis coordination team handles it all. We identify appropriate care centers and call until a placement facility accepts the patient, then we hand it back off to the ED to coordinate transportation to the facility.
We typically handle the professional fee billing, but sometimes our partner hospitals prefer to handle it.
Your ED would enter an assessment request in our platform. Then you would receive an automated call, letting your team know the provider is ready. PMC’s provider sees the patient over video conference and completes documentation that is entered into the hospital EHR, along with medication recommendations. Our crisis coordinators find placement if the patient requires a higher level of care.
Reducing length of stay for behavioral health patients
Talk to our crisis services team to see how PMC Crisis Services can support your ED team 24/7.