Many in health care have known for some time the massive challenges surrounding behavioral health access and the pressure on providers — especially in hospital ERs as families and patients reach points of desperation.

The pandemic has only exacerbated these challenges. Nationally, ER wait times for people seeking behavioral health treatment are increasing as are the number of people, including children and adolescents, who are presenting for treatment in hospital ERs.

As reported by Becker’s Hospital Review, Colorado’s growth in the number of children and adolescents attempting suicide is setting off alarm bells and straining an already burdened health care system.

Over the years, we have worked proudly with a number of teams whose technology is geared around disrupting the status quo to do things differently. Better. Chief among them is XFERALL, a client whose mobile platform helps clinicians not only identify available behavioral health beds but also manage the logistics required to actually transfer patients so their treatment and recovery begins much more quickly. While nationally the wait times for inpatient behavioral health treatment is estimated conservatively to exceed 8 hours, entities using XFERALL have reduced wait times by 86 percent. In Georgia, facilities using XFERALL have averaged behavioral health placement in under 40 minutes in the last year.

Eliminating the gap between behavioral health care demand and behavioral health care supply will take years. XFERALL is helping now by maximizing existing resources and eliminating inefficiencies. We’re proud of our work with the company not just because we are part of its growth but because of its impact on vulnerable populations who can’t…and shouldn’t…wait for care.