Cadillac Hospital Pediatric Services Will Change in April

Beginning May 1, the hospital will continue to provide pediatric care in the Emergency Department and Maternity units, but will not provide inpatient pediatric services. Children requiring inpatient care will be transferred to a partner facility – either Munson Medical Center in Traverse City or DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids.

Cadillac Hospital Vice President of Medical Affairs Joseph Santangelo, M.D., said the changes are due to staffing and recruitment challenges at Mackinaw Trail Pediatrics, where he practices as a pediatrician.

“Munson Healthcare Cadillac Hospital has contracted with Mackinaw Trail Pediatrics to provide care to pediatric patients in the Emergency Department as well as on the inpatient and OB units,” he said. “As an outpatient practice, Mackinaw Trail Pediatrics is no longer able to provide this care, so it is being transitioned to a different care delivery model.”

Cadillac Hospital President Tonya Smith said the hospital cared for 4,500 pediatric patients in the Emergency Department in 2016. Mackinaw Trail Pediatrics provided care to about 4 percent of those patients. The other 4,300 pediatric patients were cared for by Emergency Department medical staff.

“Nothing will change for 96 percent of pediatric patients who require Emergency Department care,” she said. “We have a solid transfer and telemedicine process in place and are committed to doing what’s best for any critically ill child that needs to be transferred to one of our partner facilities. We want to assure parents and the community that we are committed to providing a system that gets each individual child the right care, in the right place, at the right time.”

Dr. Santangelo emphasized that care for newborns requiring pediatrician care will remain unchanged, as providers adapt to meet demands of an evolving health care environment. That environment includes an increased emphasis on population health, a move to hospitalist services for inpatients, reimbursement changes, and pediatricians entering practice for the first time are seeking opportunities focused on outpatient care.

“These are some of the reasons that require Mackinaw Trail Pediatrics to revamp their practice,” he said.

Smith said it is impossible to predict whether inpatient pediatric services will return to the hospital.

“We continuously evaluate the services we provide to be sure we are always providing the right care, in the right place, at the right time,” she said.