Thinking small allows a healthcare system to test demand or grow its presence in a specific market without the expense of a traditional greenfield full-service campus. Although not all alike, most micro-hospitals focus on treating low-acuity patients and provide ambulatory and emergency services — leaving more complex clinical services and surgeries to the larger, full-service hospitals within their broader healthcare network. They also have a lot fewer beds, often only 8 to 12.
LOCATION IS KEY
Unlike community hospitals and small, rural hospitals, healthcare systems are placing micro-hospitals in larger metropolitan areas. The focus is to provide care at the right time in the appropriate setting allowing care to be delivered closer to home with easier access than can be provided at larger, more complex facilities. They can also be seen as an extension of a bedless emergency department which needs to be affiliated with a fully-licensed hospital anyway. This allows patients to be stabilized and transferred to a more appropriate healthcare setting as necessary.
The San Francisco-based Dignity Health opened one micro-hospital in Phoenix and plans to open one more in Phoenix and four in the Las Vegas area. The Colorado-based SCL Health has two micro-hospitals in the Denver area, and the Dallas-based Baylor Scott & White Health has micro-hospitals sprinkled throughout Texas, according to Kaiser Health News.
FACILITY IMPACT
Compared to a traditional hospital, micro-hospitals are less of a financial burden for a healthcare system. They typically require only about 15,000 to 50,000 square feet. The Advisory Board estimates that a micro-hospital project can cost anywhere from $7 million to $30 million. With a shorter construction timeline, micro-hospitals expedite bringing healthcare services to patients in the community. A micro-hospital is also an ideal candidate for developing a prototype facility that can further reduce the planning, design, and construction time. Compared to robust outpatient facilities, micro-hospitals must comply with the same stringent design and construction regulations of an inpatient hospital and may not be an option in heavily-regulated states.
Source: “The Rise of the Micro-Hospital” by Heather Punke, Becker’s Hospital Review, July 21, 2016.