After about 15 years in operation, Baptist Regional Medical Center announced this week that it has discontinued its in-patient chemical dependency program, citing financial "non-viability" as one of the main reasons for the move.
As of Feb. 21, the 15-bed Chemical Dependency Program stopped taking new patients. It closed officially Sunday.
Hospital officials say the additional beds will be used for psychiatric patients at the BRMC Trillium Center.
"That’s a part of our service that was just not ever profitable. If you got it to break even, it was good," said John Henson, President and CEO of BRMC. "We are trying to serve our population, and it is a service that is needed. But if you can’t pay the bills based on what you are reimbursed, what do you do?"
Henson said private insurance companies and state health care programs continually lessened the amount reimbursed for long-term chemical dependency treatment. Initially, a full-course for the program was 25 days. But because of dwindling insurance support, patients were only able to stay in the program for a couple of days in recent years.
"Everything had basically switched to being outpatient. That’s basically what it had become due to the dwindling reimbursement from insurance companies," Henson said. "We were probably one of the last few in-patient units available. We would get referrals from all over the state."
In a press released issued Monday, Debbie Hardin, Coordinator of Marketing at the hospital, said BRMC "remains committed to combating chemical dependency and will continued to provide outpatient chemical dependency services through its Chemical Dependency Intensive Outpatient (IOP) treatment program, and inpatient chemical dependency treatment as needed for patients admitted with a primary psychiatric diagnoses."
Though it is a "mixed bag," Henson said psychiatric services are generally more robustly reimbursed by insurance companies and government coverage.
"We thought about this for a couple of months. Obviously, as a health care provider, you have to decide what you are doing based on need. But need doesn’t always win the day," Henson said. "There is a need for chemical dependency treatment, but we just can’t afford to do it anymore."
Henson said BRMC’s inpatient chemical dependency unit was as successful as any other in the area, and added that the decision was not based on the effectiveness of the program.
No employees lost jobs or were laid off at BRMC because of the decision.
