Partial Hospitalization (PHP) and Partial Care in New Jersey: What They Are

Partial hospitalization (PHP) explained: five to six clinical hours a day, five days a week, while you sleep at home. How partial care works in New Jersey.

When IOP Is Not Quite Enough

Partial hospitalization is the most intensive level of care that still lets you sleep at home. It runs five to six hours a day, five days a week, roughly double the clinical contact of IOP, with more frequent psychiatric contact. Medicare’s minimum for PHP is 20 hours a week.

PHP is most often used in one of two situations. The first is a step down: you have just been discharged from an inpatient psychiatric unit and going straight home with a weekly appointment would be a genuine risk. The second is a step up: symptoms have escalated past what IOP can safely hold, but you are not in immediate danger and your clinician agrees you do not need inpatient admission.

If you or someone else is in danger, or a clinician recommends inpatient admission, PHP is not a substitute. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

In New Jersey, community programs that offer day treatment usually hold a current New Jersey Department of Health license as “partial care.” “Partial hospitalization” usually refers to a hospital-based program. Ask which one a program is licensed for. For a South Jersey example from addiction treatment, see the partial care program at South Jersey Recovery Program in Berlin, which treats substance use and co-occurring mental health conditions and is operated by Periscope Behavioral Health, which is affiliated with this website's publisher.

Because PHP occupies most of a working day, many people take short-term leave while they are in it. Many programs can provide FMLA and disability documentation on request. Program length varies. Ask each program how length is decided. PHP is usually followed by a step down to IOP; ask whether the program offers IOP itself.

What PHP Programs Commonly Offer (Ask Each Program)

Services vary by program.

• ✓Five to six clinical hours per day, five days per week
• ✓Several groups a day, such as process, skills and psychoeducation groups
• ✓Individual therapy
• ✓Psychiatric evaluation, with more frequent medication review than IOP
• ✓Symptom and safety check-ins on program days
• ✓Family therapy and structured family involvement
• ✓Coordination with your inpatient team, if you are stepping down
• ✓FMLA, disability and return-to-work documentation on request
• ✓A planned step down to IOP

Who This Level of Care Tends to Fit

This level of care tends to be the right fit when:

• You were recently discharged from inpatient psychiatric care
• Symptoms escalated beyond what IOP can safely hold
• You need clinical contact most weekdays and closer medication follow-up than IOP offers
• You are safe at home overnight but not stable through the day
• A short leave from work is possible and appropriate
• Your treating clinician agrees you can be safe at home overnight and on weekends

How It Works

Your First Week

1. Intake call

   Programs typically begin with a confidential phone screening — expect questions about what is going on, what you have already tried, and what your schedule looks like. Ask each program how its intake screening works.

2. Benefits verification

   Many programs contact your insurer to check your benefits — what appears to be covered, whether authorization is needed, and what you might owe. A benefits check is not a guarantee of coverage, so ask for the estimate in writing and confirm it with your plan.

3. Clinical assessment and treatment plan

   A licensed clinician completes a full biopsychosocial assessment and, where indicated, a psychiatric evaluation. Together you set the goals that the whole program is then measured against.

4. Your first group

   Many programs introduce you to your primary clinician and your group before your first full session. Ask each program how orientation works.

Frequently Asked Questions