Screening for Suicide Risk Isn’t Enough: How California Hospitals Can Prepare for AB 1394

Starting January 1, 2025, California’s Assembly Bill 1394 will require hospitals to screen patients 12 and older for suicide risk. While this mandate is a vital step toward preventing suicide, it leaves a critical question unanswered: What happens next? 

Screening without actionable next steps can leave hospitals facing operational strain, increased liability, and missed opportunities to save lives. Hospitals face significant challenges in managing positive screenings, providing timely follow-up care, and ensuring seamless care transitions. Array Behavioral Care partners with hospitals to not only comply with AB 1394 but also create comprehensive, high-quality suicide prevention strategies that improve outcomes and reduce risk. 

Understanding the Challenge 

Screening alone is not enough. When patients screen positive, hospitals must navigate complex care needs while maintaining compliance, mitigating risks, and avoiding strain on staff and resources. Key challenges include: 

• Operational Strain: Positive screens can overwhelm emergency departments, exacerbating boarding issues and delaying care for other patients. 

• Increased Liability: Insufficient follow-up care exposes hospitals to significant legal and reputational risks. 

• Care Gaps: Without robust coordination, patients may fall through the cracks, leading to adverse outcomes and higher readmission rates. 

 Without an integrated plan, these challenges can overwhelm already strained systems. To address these challenges, hospitals need a system-wide approach that connects acute, outpatient, and at-home services 

The Array Solution: Comprehensive Behavioral Health Support 

At Array, we believe suicide prevention must go beyond “screen and refer” and requires a comprehensive approach that extends across care settings. Array Behavioral Care is uniquely positioned to help hospitals meet AB 1394 requirements by addressing patient needs across the continuum of care. Our solutions help hospitals navigate the entire process, from the moment a patient screens positive in the emergency department, to their safe transition into outpatient or at-home care. 

How We Help Hospitals Succeed: 

• Psychiatrist-Only Model for Acute Care: Array uses board-certified psychiatrists with extensive acute care experience to manage behavioral health cases in emergency settings, ensuring high-quality, specialized care. 

• Rapid Psychiatric Assessments: Virtual consultations provide timely evaluations, stabilize crises, and reduce ED boarding. 

• Proactive Stabilizing Care: Array clinicians initiate treatment when necessary, aligning dispositions with acuity and prioritizing the least restrictive, most appropriate care options. 

• Continuity Across Settings: Our integrated care model bridges gaps between acute, outpatient, and at-home settings to reduce readmissions and ensure patients receive timely follow-up care. 

• Seamless Integration: Our clinicians document directly in your EMR, ensuring thorough, standardized, and actionable records that support care transitions and compliance. 

• Joint Commission Accreditation: With the Gold Seal of Approval®, Array’s services meet or exceed national standards for safety, quality, and consistency. 

Why Act Now? 

Hospitals may not feel the full impact of AB 1394 immediately, but as screenings increase, the true scale of behavioral health needs will emerge. Without the right systems in place, hospitals risk: 

• Overwhelmed staff and delayed care for other patients. 

• Gaps in care for high-risk individuals. 

• Negative outcomes that jeopardize patient safety and organizational reputation. 

Preparing now means avoiding these pitfalls and positioning your hospital as a leader in comprehensive suicide prevention. 

By acting now, hospitals can: 

• Proactively address gaps in suicide prevention policies and procedures. 

• Reduce liability by ensuring patients are appropriately managed. 

• Improve operational efficiency by streamlining care transitions and reducing ED boarding. 

• Lead the way in delivering high-quality behavioral health care that goes beyond compliance. 

 The Array Difference 

Partnering with Array Behavioral Care means accessing 25 years of expertise in delivering high-quality virtual behavioral health care. Our commitment to consistency, quality, and innovation is backed by The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval®. With Array, your hospital gains a trusted partner that helps you navigate the complexities of suicide prevention while delivering measurable results. 

AB 1394 is more than a mandate—it’s an opportunity for hospitals to transform their approach to behavioral health care. By partnering with Array Behavioral Care, you can go beyond compliance to create a safer, more effective system for managing suicide risk. 

Ready to take the next step? Contact us today to learn how Array can help your hospital navigate AB 1394 and beyond.