Refer a patient
Admission to our program requires a referral from a referring emergency department.
Emergency Department providers, call 253-403-0556 to refer a patient. This number is monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
What providers need to know
Adolescent Behavioral Health at Tacoma General accepts patients ages 13 through 17 on a voluntary, involuntary and parent-initiated treatment basis with a provider referral.
Typical diagnoses or potential diagnoses appropriate to refer to us include:
- Major depression
- Anxiety disorders
- Psychosis
- Schizophrenia
- Bipolar disorder
How to refer
Referrals can be made 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There will be an intake nurse monitoring this number Monday through Friday, from 8:30am to 5pm. After-hours and on weekends, the charge nurse will carry the intake phone and screen referrals with our provider.
- Call our Referral Intake Number: 253-403-0556
- Patients must be medically cleared before they arrive. The information is reviewed by the intake or charge nurse and then presented to our provider for admission.
- Insurance authorization must be obtained by the sending facility.
Note: This same process applies to involuntary patients, but a court order must also be included. Adolescent Behavioral Health at Tacoma General must be listed on the order.
Admission criteria
- All patients admitted to the unit must be accepted by the admitting provider and have a primary psychiatric diagnosis.
- All patients must be tested for COVID-19 and should have negative results prior to their arrival on the unit.
- Referral from primary care provider office or urgent care should be able to provide medical clearance and transportation within the same day.
- All accepted patients should be arriving via secure medical transport. Patients are not allowed to be transported via private vehicles.
- Patients are admitted on a voluntary basis by signing themselves in, admitted under the Involuntary Treatment Act, or admitted under Family-Initiated Treatment.
Exclusions/transfer criteria
Patients cannot be admitted to the unit, or may have to be transferred from the unit, if they have or develop any of the following medical needs:
- Any active communicable disease
- Casts/Ace bandages
- Central lines
- Conditions requiring suctioning
- Conditions requiring supplemental oxygen
- Continuous IV therapy
- Fever greater than 101ºF
- Head trauma requiring neurological monitoring
- Primary diagnosis of an eating disorder
- Primary diagnosis of intellectual or developmental disability
- Primary diagnosis other than psychiatric diagnosis
- Receiving chemotherapy treatment
- Uncontrolled seizures
- Unstable vital signs