CRANSTON – The psychiatric facility within Eleanor Slater Hospital will now be operating as a standalone psychiatric hospital, announced Gov. Daniel J. McKee on Tuesday.
The 52-bed forensic psychiatric unit in the Roosevelt Benton facility received a new license to operate independently under the name of Rhode Island State Psychiatric Hospital, a separation which will allow the state to seek up to $40 million in federal reimbursement a year.
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“One year ago, we committed to opening a standalone psychiatric hospital as part of our long-term vision for improving our state hospital system, and today we are making good on that commitment,” said McKee. “This is good news for the patients who need the specialized care that is provided here, and it is good news for our state, because it provides access to available federal dollars that help support the care of our patients.”
The new psychiatric hospital will continue to treat court-ordered forensic patients, as the Benton facility did, but the new license allows the facility to be classified as psychiatric hospital. McKee was joined by Richard Charest, director of the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals to announce the new license Tuesday morning.
“This is an important day for Rhode Island and for our state’s healthcare system, and it is made possible by the hard work of many dedicated employees, as well as the support of state lawmakers, state health officials, and other state agencies, and we thank all of them for helping to make this new hospital a reality,” said Charest. “While the day-to-day operations at Benton will not change, this allows the treatment and care that we provide at Benton to be subject to standards that are more appropriate for psychiatric hospitals, and that will help our staff as they care for our patients.”
Federal Medicaid rules prevent the hospital from seeking federal reimbursements for patients younger than age 65 when more than 50% of its patients are psychiatric. The presence of forensic patients, who are not eligible for federal reimbursements but are still counted as psychiatric patients, affected Eleanor Slater Hospital’s eligibility for federal Medicaid reimbursements in the past. But officials estimate that the new separation will position Eleanor Slater Hospital to seek between $30 million to $40 million a year in federal reimbursement for patient care.
“Licensure of the Benton facility as a standalone hospital marks a critical step in our work to transform Rhode Island’s behavioral health continuum of care by preserving and improving access to quality, cost effective healthcare,” said Ana Novais, acting secretary of the Executive Office of Health & Human Services. “Patients and their families deserve a psychiatric hospital that best meets the needs of those who require specialized care.”
“Eleanor Slater Hospital is an essential part of the Rhode Island health system,” said M. Teresa Paiva Weed, president of the Hospital Association of Rhode Island. “The separation of the Benton Facility to a standalone psychiatric hospital is an important step in the reorganization of the state hospital that will provide access to critical funds necessary to support quality and safety for both patients and hospital employees.”
Claudia Chiappa is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Chiappa@PBN.com.
