Microhospitals: Alternative Strategies for Clinical Services Delivery at CHRISTUS

Jennifer Varnadore, Administrator, CHRISTUS Bossier Emergency Hospital, Randy Osteen, VP Applications Services, and Dana Smelser, Director of Marketing and Communications, CHRISTUS Health.  As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, provider organizations are seeking lower-cost alternatives to providing traditional clinical services through creation of facilities that are scalable in design to provide high levels of care without the overhead of a large hospital setting.  This approach has allowed CHRISTUS Health to extend its healing ministry into communities that are in need of pre-acute and inpatient services but don’t require the intensity of a large complex hospital facility.  Due to the unique needs associated with these types of facilities, CHRISTUS explains the rationale behind its use of Microhospital environments to provide clinical services, technology implications associated with these facilities, and lessons learned in terms of licensure, relationships with other local clinical services and community education.