A number of trends are driving the changing nature of hospital care across America . Alongside medical risks associated with hospitalization , the financial practicability of hospitals is itself being called into question . This is reflecting a shift away from traditional inpatient facilities , and looking forwards to virtual and outpatient clinics , same day surgeries , microhospitals and home monitoring systems . This does n’t represent the death of the traditional hospital but is more indicative of a changing desire in how patients want to receive care , and chief amongst these is a return to hospital - level care at home . Studies have shown that this form of care can cut costs by up to 50 percent , and often with fewer complications , lower mortality rates and even higher patient satisfaction . The New York - based Mount Sinai operates one of these , and they estimate that up to 575,000 cases a year would qualify for this form of care , and even treating only 20 percent of these cases would see Medicare save $ 45 million annually . As patients begin to receive care away from major hospitals , microhospitals , or ‘ virtual hospitals ’ , are becoming more common . Typically visits to these hospitals are incredibly brief , with 92 percent of patients staying only 90 minutes . Services offered here include emergency care , labor and delivery , as well as surgical procedures and radiology services . One such group in Louisiana has 30 hospitals and says 80 percent of its capital expenditures are going to outpatient clinics . The same group , the Ochsner Health System , is also part of a new trend for existing hospitals , whereby the buildings are repurposed to offer different forms of care . This has seen the conversion of the traditional River Parishes Hospital in Louisiana into a specialist inpatient psychiatric facility and there have been similar alterations in New York . The goal of these sort of changes is to care for each patient in the most appropriate setting , focusing on wellness and simply keeping people out of hospital . This ties into an increased push towards preventative care that is being undertaken across America . In a nation where , 50 percent of people are predisposed to diabetes and every third person is considered ‘ food insecure ’ , it is important that health programs focus on healthy diets and supporting families in need . This is being accompanied by developments in genomics so that it is now possible to note predispositions to certain illnesses . Treatment away from hospital in a bid to reduce health costs is seeing increased investment in telemedicine . They are setting up programs that monitor people 24/7 in their own homes. Whether direct consultation between patient and doctor , or between doctors , the technology promises to reduce demand on beds and connect patients to providers in rural areas where care centers are far more sporadic . Even in these rural areas , hospitals can connect patients to doctors at other institutions . Whether through technology or practicality there is a major shift to creating a more efficient health care system .
A number of trends are driving the changing nature of hospital care across America . Alongside medical risks associated with hospitalization , the financial practicability of hospitals is itself being called into question . This is reflecting a shift away from traditional inpatient facilities , and looking forwards to virtual and outpatient clinics , same day surgeries , microhospitals and home monitoring systems . This does n’t represent the death of the traditional hospital but is more indicative of a changing desire in how patients want to receive care , and chief amongst these is a return to hospital - level care at home . Studies have shown that this form of care can cut costs by up to 50 percent , and often with fewer complications , lower mortality rates and even higher patient satisfaction . The New York - based Mount Sinai operates one of these , and they estimate that up to 575,000 cases a year would qualify for this form of care , and even treating only 20 percent of these cases would see Medicare save $ 45 million annually . As patients begin to receive care away from major hospitals , microhospitals , or ‘ virtual hospitals ’ , are becoming more common . Typically visits to these hospitals are incredibly brief , with 92 percent of patients staying only 90 minutes . Services offered here include emergency care , labor and delivery , as well as surgical procedures and radiology services . One such group in Louisiana has 30 hospitals and says 80 percent of its capital expenditures are going to outpatient clinics . The same group , the Ochsner Health System , is also part of a new trend for existing hospitals , whereby the buildings are repurposed to offer different forms of care . This has seen the conversion of the traditional River Parishes Hospital in Louisiana into a specialist inpatient psychiatric facility and there have been similar alterations in New York . The goal of these sort of changes is to care for each patient in the most appropriate setting , focusing on wellness and simply keeping people out of hospital . This ties into an increased push towards preventative care that is being undertaken across America . In a nation where , 50 percent of people are predisposed to diabetes and every third person is considered ‘ food insecure ’ , it is important that health programs focus on healthy diets and supporting families in need . This is being accompanied by developments in genomics so that it is now possible to note predispositions to certain illnesses . Treatment away from hospital in a bid to reduce health costs is seeing increased investment in telemedicine . Whether direct consultation between patient and doctor , or between doctors , the technology promises to reduce demand on beds and connect patients to providers in rural areas where care centers are far more sporadic . Even in these rural areas , hospitals can connect patients to doctors at other institutions . Whether through technology or practicality there is a major shift to creating a more efficient health care system .