Embree Group, a construction and development company based in Georgetown, Texas, has unveiled plans to build four "microhospitals" in central Indiana, a region where community hospitals, urgent care centers and retail clinics already compete for patients, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal.
While microhospitals vary from facility to facility, most are acute care hospitals that meet all federal and state licensing and regulatory requirements. They focus on treating low-acuity patients and providing ambulatory and emergency services, leaving more complex surgeries and service lines for their larger counterparts. They also have fewer beds, usually around eight to 12, and are comprised of between 15,000 to 50,000 square feet.
"Central Indiana doesn't lack for patient coverage," said Elizabeth Walker, chief strategy officer with Quorum Health Resources, according to the report. "I have a lot of questions about how successful they can be, given the dynamics of this market."
Embree Group has filed applications with the Indiana Office of Homeland Security to build the small hospitals in Plainfield and Noblesville, Ind., as well as the northeast and southeast sides of Indianapolis, according to the report.
The new buildings would be about 19,000 square feet and house between eight and 10 beds for observation and short stay use.
The applications describe each micro-hospital project as a "micro-hospital with inpatient, diagnostic imaging and emergency services," according to the report.