The partial hospitalization program and the intensive outpatient program of MedStar Health's Department of Psychiatry provides comprehensive outpatient psychiatric services to our patients and the community. We offer a variety of programs, each tailored to meet the needs of the individual patient. The goal of each program is to reduce psychiatric symptoms and to prevent an inpatient hospital stay.
Our programs are staffed by an experienced, dedicated team of psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, case managers and therapists from various disciplines. This team supports patients through treatment for various disorders, including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Patients who are also chemically dependent are also eligible.
Each patient's treatment includes diagnostic and medical evaluation, group psychotherapy, multidisciplinary group modalities, and, if necessary, medication therapy. Family outreach is also an integral part of our program.
About the partial hospitalization program
Licensed in January 1983, the partial hospitalization program (PHP) was the first day hospital program to receive approval from the State Mental Hygiene Administration in the Baltimore metropolitan area. This short-term program enables patients who require significant support to stay in the community and avoid inpatient care. Depending on clinical need, patients receive treatment for either 4 or 6.5 hours per day.
Each patient's treatment needs are reviewed shortly after admission, and an individualized treatment plan is developed. As the patient participates in the program, discharge plans are made in conjunction with the referral source. Every effort is made to help the patient quickly return to work or secure an appropriate, structured activity in the community.
PHP at MedStar Health is:
- Intensive treatment for 4 or 6.5 hours per day
- Available up to five times per week
- For patients who need significant assistance with medication, structure and symptom management
Intensive outpatient program
The intensive outpatient program (IOP) offers more therapy than is available in a typical outpatient setting, but involves less contact than the PHP. This program helps patients stabilize their symptoms and quickly return to work or their community.
Depending on clinical need, patients receive two or three group sessions per day, two to five times per week. As with the PHP, all patients receive individual treatment and early discharge planning.
IOP at MedStar Union Memorial is:
- A sub-set of the Partial Hospitalization Program
- Focused treatment for two or three hours each day
- Available two to five times per week
- Two or three therapeutic group sessions each day
- Group therapy and one or two other appropriate groups provided each day
Program features
- Care is provided in an outpatient setting
- Eligibility: Minimum age of 18
- Referral sources: Psychiatrists, physicians, mental health professionals, EAPs, clergy, managed care companies, family, friends, or patients themselves
- Patients are accepted from any geographical area
- Payment/insurance: Third-party payors, including many commercial insurance companies, Medicare, Medicaid, HMOs, and managed care companies are accepted
- Multidisciplinary staff
- Various types of diagnoses, such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder; patients who are also chemically dependent are also eligible
- Short-term programs based on clinical need
Our providers
Expert behavioural health care
Getting the care you need starts with seeing one of our behavioural health specialists.
Additional information
Phone Operation Hours
Monday through Friday
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(voice mail after hours)