Have you seen the April issue of Healthcare Design yet?
When you look at it, be sure to read my article on microhospitals.
This was a fascinating topic to explore — worthy of much more than my 1,500-word assignment. In doing my research, I found a lot had already been written on microhospitals.
I also found that there’s confusion over what a microhospital is. It’s not a critical access hospital (those are usually in rural areas and don’t have outpatient services). It’s not a surgery hospital (those are surgery hospitals). And it’s not a satellite hospital (those are too big).
A microhospital is just what its name implies — a small (15,000-50,000) square foot in- and outpatient hospital, usually in a metropolitan area within 30 miles of a larger parent hospital. Design-wise, microhospitals try to follow the architecture and design of the parent hospital.
Microhospitals a Stealth Strategy
And while many healthcare architecture firms are aware of this new model, not many have actually designed and built a microhospital. Yet.
Administrators at healthcare systems that have designed and built microhospitals are reluctant to talk about them, fearing their competitors will learn about their strategy. It’s a dog eat dog world out there. But, seriously, what healthcare system doesn’t know what its competitors are doing?
When it comes to microhospitals, developer/operator Emerus is the two-ton gorilla in the marketplace. Partnering with healthcare systems, it has more than 20 facilities in six states with a lot more planned.
Want More?
Check out these recent articles on microhospitals:
- "Scaling Back," Healthcare Design
- "The Rise of the ‘Microhospital’: 7 Things to Know," Becker’s Hospital Review
- "Think Small: Making the Case for Micro-Hospitals," Emerus
- "Micro Hospitals - Transforming the Healthcare Delivery Landscape," Navigant
- "Micro-Hospital Fuel Growth Strategy at a Texas Health System," Health Leaders Media
- "Microhospitals: Healthcare’s Newest Patient Access Point," Building Design & Construction
P.S. Please do me a favor -- if you liked this post and like this blog, please share it with others by sending them the link and/or post it on your Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook, etc. Also, don't forget to subscribe so you'll get emails when new content is posted. Thanks!
