Intensive Home Treatment ( IHT ) programs could reduce emergency room boarding of patients experiencing a mental health crisis in three ways :
1 They could be referred to an IHT program by ER staff instead of being admitted to hospital
2 Patients in a crisis in the community assessed as needing hospital level of care could bypass the ER and be referred to an IHT program
3 Patients in the ER would have greater access to hospital mental health beds due to a. early discharge of inpatients to IHT and b. fewer patients being admitted due to diversion to IHT programs
See my article about this in the Canadian Medical Association Journal