EmPATH Units

EmPATH stands for “Emergency Psychiatry Assessment, Treatment and Healing." EmPATH Units deliver acute interventions for behavioral healthcare patients by moving them out of hectic emergency departments into a calm, therapeutic setting. As a result, patient agitation and aggression is dramatically reduced and the need for coercive interventions like involuntary medications and physical restraints drops to nearly zero.

Seventy-five percent of patients treated in an EmPATH unit stabilize and return home within 24 hours — without costly inpatient admissions or emergency department boarding.

Thanks to these results, EmPATH Units have been recommended by the Joint Commission and the National Council for Behavioral Health.

Experienced-based Innovation

The ER has become a safety net for our behavioral health population. An estimated 12–15% of emergency visits are now behavioral health-related. Unfortunately, few emergency departments have the environment, resources, or expertise to treat these patients effectively.

Scott Zeller, MD, a leader and internationally recognized expert in emergency psychiatry developed EmPATH to deliver more timely and compassionate care to patients in acute behavioral distress. Dr. Zeller’s research convinced him that most behavioral emergencies could be stabilized at the emergency level of care without a hospital admission. Before joining Vituity, he led the development of the first version of an EmPATH Unit, then called the “Alameda Model.”

Patients are now being treated and evaluated in the most appropriate setting. We have really improved access to quality care for some of our most vulnerable patients.

Scott Zeller, MD

Vice President, Acute Psychiatry

What Makes the EmPATH Approach Different?

EmPATH’s goal is to achieve better outcomes and ‘turn emergency patients into outpatients” by getting individuals swiftly in front of a psychiatrist and commencing treatment. Our innovative 23-hour units allow patients to engage with an integrated, interactive staff who regularly reassess symptoms and care plans for optimal results.

EmPATH in action

The resounding national success of the EmPATH model has led to Vituity and Dr. Zeller supporting the launch of more than sixty locations nationwide, replicating these results for all types of hospitals and patient populations.

The solution has been highlighted in the New Yorker, NPR, Psychology Today, CNN, Bloomberg News, Psychiatric Times, STAT News, and many other popular and professional media, as a humane and effective answer to America’s behavioral healthcare crisis.

If you're considering opening an EmPATH unit at your hospital or want to learn more, contact us at empath@vituity.com

EmPATH Units

Experienced-based Innovation

What Makes the EmPATH Approach Different?

What Makes the EmPATH Approach Different?

EmPATH in action

Partnering to improve patient lives