Lowell (Mass.) General Hospital is moving away from its hospital-centric business model in an effort to reduce costs and avoid disruption, the Lowell Sun reports.
Under a new strategy aiming to "disrupt" and "change" the business of healthcare, Lowell General Hospital will reduce utilization of hospital beds while providing more urgent care, outpatient and home care options, President and CEO Jody White told the Sun.
"Healthcare is too expensive — and what healthcare needs hospitals to do is evolve," he said.
As surgery moves to outpatient surgery centers such as the one on LGH's Drum Hill campus in Chelmsford, LGH is trying to gradually reduce its reliance on facility fees and working with physicians to lower overall costs, according to Mr. White.
Surgery volume at the main campus is decreasing, and surgical services at the Saints campus are being consolidated at Drum Hill. Reduced demand for inpatient beds led LGH to temporarily close the intensive care unit at the Saints campus, with plans to make the closure permanent.
However, Lowell's hospitals are still vital assets, Mr. White said. Its two campuses handle a combined 100,000 emergency room visits each year.