Citing the industry shift from inpatient to outpatient care, Grand Forks, N.D.-based Altru Health System is scaling back plans for its new hospital, according to the Grand Forks Herald.
The new hospital, also in Grand Forks, was originally slated to be a seven-story, 528,000-square-foot facility, but the new plans call for a five-story, 420,000-square-foot building.
The cost of construction has also been revised from $305 million to $250 million.
"The shift from inpatient to outpatient care is happening across our industry for several reasons, including reimbursement changes, technological advances and innovation around how care is provided," Annie Bonzer, a marketing and communications manager at Altru Health, told the Herald. "Fewer patients require an inpatient stay; care that formerly required a hospitalization now can be done safely on an outpatient basis. Our updated plan addresses this growing need."