HAVERHILL, Mass. - In a move to focus its full attention on its core mission of providing acute-care services to the community, Merrimack Valley Hospital today announced it will close its 16-bed Transitional Care Unit (TCU) in April. The TCU will cease taking new patients on April 4. The closing of the unit will not affect any other hospital operations and in fact will allow for the expansion of needed services.

"The decision to close a service is never an easy one, but we believe we can better serve the community by building and focusing on our strengths-our acute care services," said Robert Allen, Merrimack Valley Hospital CEO.

The transitional care unit provided specialized medical and rehabilitative services to help patients make the move from the hospital back to their home after surgery or serious illness.

"We have been concerned about this service for a while and have been working to make operational improvements that would allow us to keep it," said Allen. "However, reimbursements have declined for transitional care units across the country and many hospitals have had to make similar decisions to close their units."

A recent study by The Urban Institute for the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) found that, since the implementation of the Medicare prospective payment system in 1998, more than one-third of hospital-based transitional care units have closed. Merrimack Valley Hospital will be the thirty second hospital in the Commonwealth to close their transitional care unit with other units contemplating like action.

"We certainly would rather not have to close our transitional care unit," said Allen, "But it is important that we focus our time and resources on the acute-care services that are of greatest need to the community."