What is it about?
This study examined whether communications between inpatient and outpatient mental health providers during patients’ inpatient stays were associated with attendance at post-hospital discharge appointments. Psychiatric inpatient medical records of Medicaid recipients at two hospitals were reviewed to document whether inpatient staff communicated with current or prior outpatient providers. We evaluated the association between provider communications and follow-up care for patients who had vs. had not received outpatient mental health care within 30 days prior to admission. Inpatient staff communicated with outpatient providers for 118 (62%) patients. For patients who did not receive outpatient care within 30 days of admission, communication was associated with increased odds of attending timely outpatient appointments following discharge. We conclude that communicating with outpatient providers may be especially important for patients who were not engaged in outpatient care prior to admission.