Rockford-based OrthoIllinois received approval to build an ASC in Beloit, Wis., after lengthy discussions with the City Council and despite pushback from Beloit Health System, the Beloit Daily News reported Jan. 20.
The surgery center's architectural and site plans were approved Jan. 14, giving the green light for OrthoIllinois to proceed with the facility's development. The $14 million ASC, which plans to facilitate up to 30 surgeries a week, will have four operating rooms, 12 recovery rooms and the capacity to keep patients overnight. It is expected to open in 2023, Beloit Daily News reported Jan. 23
Plans for the ASC, which will be dubbed OrthoWisconsin, were initially submitted in October 2020 and drew strong opposition from Beloit Health System, the city's largest employer, according to the report. The health system argued the ASC would result in "excess capacity" at nearby facilities and "divert nearly two-thirds of their patients from local community hospitals while providing little to no Medicaid services."
OrthoIllinois later withdrew and resubmitted its application to build the ASC amid planning and zoning controversies, before the Beloit City Council voted to change the city's "hospital" zoning category with the broader term "medical facility," among other provisions.
OrthoIllinois has 45 physicians across 22 locations in Illinois, according to its website. The Beloit ASC will be its first facility outside Illinois.