Maryland's Laurel Regional Hospital is joining the shift to outpatient care and plans to eliminate 106 inpatient beds and shutter many of the non-emergency inpatient services by 2018, according to an article on The Washington Post website.
The transition would make Laurel — a city of 25,000 in northern Prince George’s County, midway between Washington and Baltimore — part of a national trend, in which healthcare providers increasingly are focusing on preventive care through outpatient facilities rather than more expensive inpatient services, the article said.
Erika Murray, Dimensions Healthcare System’s vice president of marketing and public relations, said declining patient admissions, small size and rapid change in healthcare reimbursement led to the decision to replace the hospital.
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