UCSD Professor Earns $1.2M Grant to Reduce Length, Frequency of ER Visits by Psychiatric Patients

A UC San Diego professor was awarded a $1.2 million grant by the University of California today to expand a program designed to reduce the length and frequency of hospital emergency room visits by psychiatric patients.

A team led by William Perry will use the funds to set up his program, started at UCSD Medical Center, at other UC-run hospitals.

The Patient-Centered Recovery Program lowered the average Emergency Department length of stay of psychiatric patients by 12 percent and reduced return visits within one month by 15 percent, partly by enrolling high-risk patients with community organizations, according to UCSD.

The award was one of four issued by the University of California, totaling $2.5 million. The other grants were to improve electronic referrals and consultations between primary care physicians and specialists, reduce smoking, and standardize fees and treatment for hip and knee replacements.

"We're excited to extend our support to proven projects so that they can be replicated across UC medical centers," said Karyn DiGiorgio, interim director of the UC Center for Health Quality and Innovation. "By scaling up transformative projects like these, UC Health will see even more improvement in the quality and value of the health care we provide Californians."

The other UC hospitals are at Davis, Irvine, San Francisco and UCLA.