Contact:
Michael Murphy
(602) 344-1231
Michael.Murphy@valleywisehealth.org
Shannon Sowby for Valleywise Health
(602) 615-6235
shannon.sowby@lt.agency
PHOENIX (Oct. 22, 2024) – Valleywise Health has some of the lowest readmission rates nationwide among inpatient psychiatric facilities, according to data from U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The highest readmittance rate is 35%, while Valleywise Health’s rate was only 13.4%.
Patients are far less likely to be readmitted within 30 days of an inpatient stay at a Valleywise Health behavioral health facility due to health system’s skilled behavioral health staff and the organization’s holistic approach to treatment.
“Our dedicated team knows how to work with the seriously mentally ill to give them the best chance at success,” shared Gene Cavallo, Valleywise Health’s Senior Vice President of Behavioral Health. “We’re so proud to be recognized for our decades of devoted work in this area, because we know how much it means to patients and their families.”
Leveraging all of Valleywise Health system’s resources ensures patients receive well-rounded care prior to discharge, both from a medical and a psychological standpoint. Some of what sets Valleywise Health apart:
- Psychiatric inpatient providers work full-time for Valleywise Health, allowing them to focus entirely on these patients, while many other hospitals rely on part-time providers who also work in private practice and other facilities. Valleywise Health doctors spend ample time with patients, getting to know them personally and finding ways to address their unique needs through medication, therapy and more.
- As one of the region’s largest teaching hospitals, Valleywise Health patients have the added benefit of support from the residency program and the expert doctors who are teaching them.
- During their stay, a patient’s physical issues are addressed alongside their psychological challenges, so they’re not admitted to an acute care hospital soon after leaving a behavioral health setting.
- Social workers at Valleywise Health have a lower caseload than is typical in the industry with the team engaging as many of the patient’s loved ones as possible in the discharge plan. They address everything from whether the individual has a safe place to live to who they will receive follow-up psychological and medical care from and when. This process helps to ensure every need and potential pitfall is considered and addressed prior to their discharge.
“Facing a serious mental illness is a daunting challenge,” Cavallo added. “And it’s not something anyone should do alone. Our staff is committed to excellence in helping every patient and patient family with compassion and empathy.”
About Valleywise Health
With locations throughout Maricopa County, one of the country’s fastest growing metro areas, Valleywise Health has a proud 147-year tradition of providing exceptional care, without exception, every patient, every time. Today, the health system includes one of the nation’s top public teaching hospitals, a world-renowned burn center and Arizona’s largest HIV primary care center. This historic commitment led to Valleywise Health earning “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader’ designation from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation for the sixth consecutive year. From a new state-of-the-art acute care hospital, including the Diane & Bruce Halle Arizona Burn Center and Level I Trauma, to three behavioral health hospitals and 11 community health centers, Valleywise Health is here for every member of the community. To learn more, please visit ValleywiseHealth.org.
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