The Efficiency of Ambulatory Medical Services. Case Study - The Integrated Ambulatory Units of the Psychiatric Hospital “Dr. Gheorghe Preda†Sibiu

Healthcare costs are an important issue for developed countries, focusing on accessibility, the quality of service and financial efficiency. The global direction of health insurance systems is to resolve the case through primary care, ambulatory and day hospital care. Hospitalizations need to be reduced. In psychiatry, however, there is a particular situation due to the increased incidence of new cases that cannot be treated by ambulatory care units. Efforts have been made to develop ambulances and service accessibility, to capitalize on benefits and to provide quality to patients. Although the number of services rendered significantly increased, in psychiatry there is an increase in the number of hospitalizations. For the psychiatric field a distinct national strategy is needed, for efficiency and adaptation to the concrete needs of the population. The development of the community service network in the medical-social field may be the solution for reducing the costs of long-term hospitalization.