By Healthcare Facilities Today

Over the last century, one of the biggest changes in the healthcare landscape has been physical, according to Norm Mitry, president and chief executive officer of Heritage Valley Health System. 

In the early 1900s, many of the larger local communities had their own hospitals. But by the 1970s, individual hospitals were consolidating. For years, people thought they had to go to the hospital for everything, Mitry said in an article posted on the Times Online website. But health care is now shifting back to a community-based setting.

Heritage Valley recently opened five “medical neighborhoods” where patients can access services including primary care, laboratory testing, outpatient rehab and diagnostic care, all in one place, according to the article.

The model saves patients multiple appointments at different locations, Mitry said. Heritage Valley has also opened seven ConvenientCare walk-in clinics. He predicted fewer appointments and more walk-in hours are the future for physician offices.

“Inpatient care is contracting,” Mitry said. “People stay in the hospital for less time. Because of technology, because of advanced medications, clearly what you’re seeing is less time spent in a hospital, thus smaller hospitals.”

While admissions and patient volumes for hospitals are down, outpatient and emergency encounters are up, according to A.J. Harper, president of the Hospital Council of Western Pennsylvania.

Some of the reasons for the decline in admissions can be attributed to preventive care and the rising costs for insurance copays and deductibles, Harper said in the article.

Read the article.