Background
Today, there are approximately 130 surgical hospitals in the United States. These facilities focus on providing surgical services, and typically, they maintain 50 beds or less. In the surgical hospital maximum length-of-stay restrictions are eliminated. ASCs have gained market share because they are dedicated to taking care of healthy outpatient cases. Surgical hospitals give inpatients the same model.
The surgical hospital has been a highly controversial model for the past several years. In November 2003, the federal government placed an 18-month moratorium on the development of surgical or specialty hospitals with a physician-ownership component. The moratorium was officially lifted in June 2005, but the issue is still being debated at the state and federal level.
Meridian believes strongly in the SH model, and that Surgical Hospitals are the next step up from the surgical center, rather than a step down from hospitals. This concept subscribes to the surgical center culture, with the focus on customer satisfaction, turnover time and efficiency.
Benefits
Surgical Hospitals increasingly appeal to a wide range of users. Physicians benefit from improved management of the clinical staff, increased operating-room access, scheduling and productivity and the alignment of economic incentives, which enhances accountability, responsibility and cost benefits. Patients experience a better health care environment with all inpatient, outpatient and ancillary services available with greater scheduling flexibility in one user-friendly facility. Payors embrace this model because it delivers affordable, high-quality care in a way that achieves sustainable and measurable long-term savings.