An ongoing Canton-Potsdam Hospital construction project in Canton, N.Y., is aimed at responding to healthcare industry changes, according to a North Country Now news report.
The project includes constructing a 30,000-square-foot medical office building on a 270-acre parcel on Route 11.
Potsdam, N.Y.-based St. Lawrence Health System, the parent organization of Canton-PotsdamHospital, announced last year that it had acquired the land.
The second phase of the project involves building an outpatient ambulatory surgery center, according to the report.
Here are 5 things to know about the construction project:
1. David Acker, CEO of St. Lawrence Health System and administrator of Canton-Potsdam Hospital, told North Country Now that the new $20 million medical office building will allow the hospital to respond to a changing healthcare environment, in which primary care, specialized care and preventative care will now generate most of the hospital's revenues.
2. The new office building will also "address space issues at CPH and at the same time establish a central location for people throughout the county to seek specialized treatment," according to the report.
3. CPH is increasing outpatient care and increasing the volume of people served. Mr. Acker told North Country Now that both are necessary for hospitals to be successful, given healthcare industry changes involving the way reimbursements from Medicaid and insurance companies are paid out, and the fact that higher payments are being tied to outcomes.
4. Acker also told North Country Now that building the new outpatient surgical suites in Canton means additional surgeons and more specialization, as well as the ability for better scheduling times and not as much shifting due to emergency procedures. He said in the report that CPH is experiencing tremendous growth in outpatient surgeries, but the hospital has had trouble meeting demand due to space constraints.
5. Construction of the medical offices is expected to begin this spring and take about a year to complete, according to the report.
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