Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist has submitted a cost overrun application with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' certificate-of-need division, seeking an additional $34.7 million for its ASC, which was originally estimated to cost $38.7 million, according to an Aug. 25 report from the Triad Business Journal.
Atrium originally received approval for the WInston-Salem ASC over a decade ago in 2010. The project will now cost an estimated $78.4 million, according to the report.
The scope of the 72,300-square-foot ASC project has not changed. It is set to include eight operating rooms, two procedure rooms, one robotic surgery training center and one simulation operating room.
A decision from HHS is due by Jan. 28, 2024. If the extra cost is approved, the facility is expected to open in 2025.
In its application, Atrium stated that the "primary cause of the cost overrun is because of the long project development lead time." The biggest price jumps were in the cost of construction and medical equipment.