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Abstract

A comparison was made of lengths of stay for involuntary patients treated in a local facility with those admitted to a state mental hospital. Involuntary patients treated in the local facility had much shorter lengths of stay than those treated at the state hospital even though the case mix was similar at both institutions. These findings suggest that local treatment may be less costly than state hospitalization for involuntary patients.

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McFarland, B.H., Faulkner, L.R. & Bloom, J.D. Predicting involuntary patients' length of stay. Adm Policy Ment Health 17, 139–149 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00706082

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