After a century of service and pediatric care, the Tufts Children’s Hospital faces closure in order to increase space for adult patients.
The decision was announced in January at a press conference held by Tufts executives, and is expected to take effect in July. Due to an increase in adult patients’ needs, the hospital would convert its 41 pediatric inpatient beds to adult ICU medical and surgery beds. Children who are currently in treatment will be referred to Boston Children’s Hospital, who will provide “excellent care” to patients who need to stay overnight.
However, the announcement has faced backlash, mainly from parents and community members. After the initial announcement, a demonstration has taken place outside the hospital while an online petition has drawn over 66,000 signatures from people.
According to Tim O’Connell, the petition initiator, families and staff members learned the information in “a blindsiding Zoom call and hurried press release,” and that the decision is “insulting, ill-advised, inappropriate, and incompassionate.”
For the past 128 years, Tufts Children’s Hospital has provided health care for pediatric patients in the Boston area with a nation-wide reputation. Formerly known as the Floating Hospital for Children, the institution was established in 1894 on a hospital ship, providing services in Boston Harbor. Nine years later, the ship was upgraded to a 170-foot ship, adding an inpatient unit, a pediatric nursing school and an onboard research facility. According to The Boston Globe, around 1900 children were hospitalized and discharged from Tufts last year.
Most of the dissatisfaction comes from concerns about interrupting treatment for current patients and that some patients might not be able to access care at Boston Children’s Hospital due to insurance issues. Some also worry that the transition is too abrupt, leaving children deprived of niche treatments only offered by certain physicians at Tufts.
Mary Havlick Cornacchia, co-chair of the Massachusetts Nurses Association union at Tufts, pointed out in an interview with GBH News that the transition to Boston Children’s Hospital is not going to be “smooth and collaborative” as Tufts expects because the closure was never tabled, leading many physicians to be blindsided as well.
“…because there are physicians that are choosing not to go to [Boston] Children’s [Hospital], they are choosing to interview at other facilities or even moving away from the area,” said Cornacchia.
Statistics further proves people’s concerns. According to The Boston Globe, pediatric health care is 25 percent more expensive at Boston Children’s than at Tufts for patients with coverage through Blue Cross Blue Shield. And for patients with Harvard Pilgrim insurance, Boston Children’s is 29 percent more costly.
Despite the controversies and concerns, Tuftes is still determined to close the pediatric hospital.
In a new statement released from the Department of Marketing & Communications, Tufts will keep the dedicated space for Pediatric Emergency Department, as well as other extensive services for children on the Tufts Medical Center campus such as outpatient (ambulatory) pediatric primary care and sub-specialty clinics.
In terms of the concerns regarding insurances and coverage, Tufts claims that of the more than 100 commercial health insurance products that Tufts Medical center accepts, Boston Children’s Hospital currently takes nearly all.
“In 2021, we identified 13 pediatric patients discharged from our care who would have fallen into a coverage gap,” wrote Jeremy Lechann, Media Relations Manager of Tufts Medical Center. “Going forward, we will work with each individual family to understand and minimize any financial impact.”
However, doctors and patients also worry that the partnership will leave little to no competition to hold Boston Children’s Hospital and its prices in check, and even make it harder for the state to control health care costs, according to The Boston Globe.
“With Tufts gone, Children’s will be in an even stronger position to dictate prices to the commercial payers, and some of those rates are exorbitant,” said David E. Williams, president of Health Business Group, in an interview with The Boston Globe.
The Boston Children’s Hospital has also been planning for an expansion. Earlier in June 2021, the hospital announced its plans for a $435 million expansion for an outpatient surgery center in Needham, while enlarging its main campus in Longwood, adding an extra of 70 beds.
And on top of that, the new partnership with Tufts Children’s Hospital comes on top of the other moves, helping Boston Children’s Hospital to boost its business.
“It feels like that they are putting dollar signs on children,” said Cornacchia.
Children could also go to other hospitals. According to Dr. Ronald E. Kleinman, chair of pediatrics at MassGeneral Hospital for Children to The Boston Globe, patients with the most complex medical conditions can go to Mass. General as an alternative option.
Yet, Mass. General’s pediatrics business is smaller than Boston Children’s, which might cause potential problems for patients and their families.
SAMPAN, published by the nonprofit Asian American Civic Association, is the only bilingual Chinese-English newspaper in New England, acting as a bridge between Asian American community organizations and individuals in the Greater Boston area. It is published biweekly and distributed free-of-charge throughout metro Boston; it is also delivered to as far away as Hawaii.
