A unit at McLaren Greater Lansing Hospital that provides in-patient mental health services to seniors is shutting down in April.
In a written statement, McLaren blamed the closure of its in-patient geropsychiatry unit on what it called “ongoing challenges, including a decline in patient volumes, a shortage of specialized providers, and an uncertain health care reimbursement landscape.”
Dr. Jed Magen, chair of the Michigan State University Department of Psychiatry, said it’s never a good time to close a psychiatric facility.
“Mental health care, particularly in-patient mental health care, is always limited,” Magen said. “Those resources are not widespread. So sure, it’s unfortunate. But there are also fiscal realities.”
Magen says part of the issue involves older patients who are unable to find a suitable place to live after receiving in-patient treatment.
“The insurance companies say 'Well, their behavior’s improved, so we’re not going to pay anymore',” Magen said. “So, now you’ve got people sitting on these in-patient units, and nobody’s paying the bill, so the hospital’s eating that cost.”
In the written statement, the hospital said it is assessing ways of better meeting the needs of patients with what it calls “the goal of reestablishing a service that is more aligned with the evolving needs of those we serve.”
MSU Health Care provides staff for McLaren’s geropsychiatric unit, though Magen does not oversee it.
McLaren Health Plan is a financial supporter of WKAR.
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