For further information contact: Alan Comeau at 973-6166
September 2, 2010 • BANGOR, ME —Acadia Hospital has made some recent programmatic adjustments in response to changes in reimbursement formulas at the state level which have affected clients in the Narcotics Treatment Program (NTP) who were receiving Charity Care.
Since the state reimbursement change occurred in October of 2009, Acadia has spent the past eleven months attempting to restructure NTP to continue to provide methadone maintenance services to all NTP clients. The hospital was not successful in this effort, which threatened the viability of the entire NTP program.
In August, when it became evident the hospital could not financially sustain the program as structured, Acadia Hospital, with the cooperation of the State DHHS, changed the license for the NTP program to a non-hospital-based program within Acadia Healthcare, a related community-based entity separate from the hospital. Although the reimbursement rate as a non-hospital-based program is lower, the charity care obligation is also lower, and thus this strategy does allow Acadia Healthcare to continue to provide this much needed service, in a reduced but sustainable way.
To maintain the long-term viability of the entire methadone program Acadia Hospital is no longer offering Charity Care Services for NTP clients. Instead, Acadia Healthcare is offering a bundled $80.00 per week fee for methadone treatment; which is consistent with other community methadone maintenance providers.
Recognizing that some existing clients would have difficulty affording the bundled rate, Acadia Hospital has created a more comprehensive array of supportive substance abuse programs that do not include the use of replacement therapy and are provided to anyone regardless of their ability to pay.
According to Acadia Hospital’s VP of Clinical Operations Brent Scobie, LCSW, CCS, “Our NTP providers are working closely with affected clients who are able to safely taper off their replacement medication and are providing intensive counseling support such that they can merge successfully into an abstinence-based lifestyle.” Acadia Hospital is also providing assistance with referrals for affected clients who wish to consider a transfer to another methadone maintenance facility.
Other hospital-based therapeutic programs offered at Acadia Hospital will continue to provide Charity Care Services to qualified clients. No clients under Acadia Hospital’s care will be refused hospital-based services because they are unable to pay.
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