HealthLeaders-InterStudy, a leading provider of healthcare market intelligence, reports there are extensive hospital construction plans underway for the area's two main and rival hospital systems -- The Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals -- even as the population experiences stagnant growth. According to the latest Cleveland Market Overview, both health systems have announced billion-dollar- plus campaigns for new hospital facilities and expansion and renovation plans to current structures.
"The U.S. Census Bureau has projected that the city of Cleveland's population would fall below 400,000 in 2007," states Mark Cherry, HealthLeaders-InterStudy market analyst and author of the report. "However, both health systems are hoping to make the city a medical destination and attract patients from outside the immediate area."
The most surprising building announcement was that of University Hospitals' new 200-bed hospital near Beachwood in an area of eastern Cuyahoga County that has been largely undeveloped. Expandable by up to 600 beds, University Hospitals' officials contend that the eastern suburbs need an acute-care hospital to serve the area's aging baby boomer population, and northern Summit County's affluent population growth.
Though the two major health systems in the Akron market, Summa Health System and Akron General Medical Center, have had affiliations with their Cleveland Clinic counterparts, they have enjoyed relative anonymity that may be lost if the rivalry between the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals spills into Summit County. University Hospitals' proposed Beachwood facility has the greatest chance of disrupting the boundaries between the Cleveland and Akron areas, and will draw people from the eastern suburbs in greater numbers than the existing small community hospitals in the area.
Other news in the Cleveland healthcare market: -- Cleveland is the site of UnitedHealthcare's pilot program Belay, a low-cost, high-deductible health plan aimed at working, uninsured men in the 35 to 54 age bracket. -- Aetna, Humana, Medical Mutual Pyramid Life, Sierra Health Services, and WellCare join Anthem, Kaiser, and United in offering seniors throughout Ohio additional choices when it comes to Medicare Advantage plans. About Market Overviews
Market Overviews provide a detailed analysis of local healthcare markets, allowing healthcare businesses to plan their local strategies.
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For more information, contact: Kelly Morphy HealthLeaders-InterStudy 615-369-4818 kmorphy@healthleaders-interstudy.com
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SOURCE: HealthLeaders-InterStudy
CONTACT: Kelly Morphy of HealthLeaders-InterStudy, +1-615-369-4818,
kmorphy@healthleaders-interstudy.com
Web site: http://www.healthleaders-interstudy.com/
