Cheverly, Md.-based Dimensions Healthcare System has decided to close 106-bed Laurel (Md.) Regional Hospital and replace it with an ambulatory services center, according to a Washington Business Journal report.
The system decided to close the hospital due to declines in inpatient volume. Laurel Regional has seen its inpatient admissions drop by 20 percent since 2013, and its finances have been worsening over the past six years.
The decision to close the hospital and replace it with an outpatient center was made after Kaufman Hall, a healthcare consulting firm, determined an ambulatory care center could operate without financial losses.
The ambulatory care center, which will offer emergency services, outpatient surgery and diagnostic imaging, is expected to be open on the hospital site by 2018, according to the report.
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