Beaumont-based Christus Southeast Texas Health System recently purchased a 6.2-acre lot to develop the area's first microhospital, according to The Orange Leader.
Microhospitals are acute care facilities and are subject to the same rules and regulations imposed on full-service hospitals in the state in which they're built. The core services of a microhospital typically include an emergency department, pharmacy, lab and imaging. Other services vary between communities, but can include primary care, telehealth, dietary services, women's services and low-acuity surgeries.
The decision for the health system to invest in the construction of a microhospital was spurred by decreasing inpatient volumes and increased demand for outpatient care, according to Ryan Miller, Christus Southeast Texas Health System president of ambulatory services.
"New healthcare models are moving away from traditional large inpatient hospitals — options for smaller, inpatient units that offer the same advanced services placed in the center of communities who need it most," said Mr. Miller, according to the report.