Sioux Falls (S.D.) Specialty Hospital has had one of its busiest years yet.
The hospital has seen growth in urology and sports medicine, in addition to steady demand in orthopedic surgeries, according to an Argus Leader report. Overall, surgical cases at the hospital rose 10 percent from 2014 to 2015, and this year is tracking 7 percent to 8 percent ahead of last year, Blake Curd, MD, the hospital's CEO, told the publication.
Following this significant increase in cases, the hospital is planning some remodeling. The operating room is being remodeled and reconfigured "to accommodate bigger surgeries" and add capacity, Mr. Curd told the Argus Leader. "Procedures have gotten larger and more complex … so we're going to move things around a bit and use the OR more efficiently," he added.
The hospital expects the project to take up to nine months, and once that project is complete, leadership likely will be looking at expanding the hospital again, Mr. Curd said, according to the report.
In addition, the hospital plans to add CT imaging services.
Jon Crow, director of operations at the hospital, attributed the increased patient volume, in part, to a 2014 statewide ballot issue called patient choice that requires insurers to include all health providers in their panel of providers as long as they agreed to the plan's terms and conditions, according to the report.