MetroHealth is opening two new hospitals in Cleveland. They're small, just a dozen or so beds, and they’re add-ons to what have been urgent care centers. But, they may be a preview of things to come.
MetroHealth CEO Dr. Akram Boutros says the point is to deliver more patient-oriented health care through things like neighborhood hospitalization for people who need a few days recovery from minor surgery or an illness.
In addition to the essentials such as emergency rooms, labs and operating theaters, the small hospitals have access to full hospital support via advances in IT.
But Boutros is quick to say that those advances weren’t the drivers of this new direction.
“The technology has been enabling. But I will tell you, the most important change is our evolution as health-care providers from being provider-centric to being patient-centric.”
The two small-unit hospitals will open next year and will cost about $25 million.
