Admissions & Referral for Psychiatric Care at Friends Hospital

Evaluations, Admission, Referrals and Financial Information

Crisis and Admissions Referrals

Friends Hospital Admissions and Evaluation Center evaluates patients in crisis 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call the Admissions and Evaluation Center at 215-831-6300 if you or a loved one is experiencing a psychiatric crisis or if you need to make a patient referral. Patients may be seen on a walk-in basis any time of the day.

At the time of arrival, patients should bring one form of picture ID and all insurance cards.

Referrals by professionals

Friends Hospital receives referrals from a variety of sources, including psychiatrists, psychologists, community mental health centers, employee assistance programs, other hospitals, school counselors, crisis intervention centers and others.

The referring professional will be asked to provide information about current medical problems, medications, and the psychiatric condition that requires psychiatric evaluation or possibly hospitalization.

Self-referral

If a patient is not yet in the care of a psychiatrist or physician, an evaluation is required prior to admission in Friends Hospital's inpatient hospital programs. Contact the Admissions and Evaluation Center to find out more about scheduling an appointment for evaluation.

Involuntary admissions

Most patients are admitted to Friends voluntarily. However, involuntary admissions under provisions of the Mental Health Procedures Act of Pennsylvania are accepted if the admission is medically necessary and an appropriate bed is available.

Financial Information

Most services are covered all or in part by health insurance. Contact your insurance company to obtain detailed information about your mental and behavioral health benefit coverage. Make sure to specify Friends Hospital as the facility with which you are seeking care.

We accept most insurances, including indemnity insurance, HMOs, PPOs, Medicaid and Medicare.

Upon arrival, patients should bring one form of picture ID and all insurance cards. They should also be prepared to pay insurance deductibles, co-payments, and any balance due from previous hospitalizations at Friends at that time.

If you have any insurance questions or if you have questions about an outstanding bill, please call Financial Services 215-831-6935.