http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/healthcare/bedless-hospitals-telehealth-grow-as-hospitals-move-toward-outpatient-care?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal&mrkid=959610&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWlRGaU5HUXlNVEE0WlRoaSIsInQiOiJlZ3VzVW84VXRrZVQyZFhnQnZZZk1EN2s0cEQydG5GbU03bnRQT0FZS3orUllZT2FVTGo1S0Myc0FkK09cL2dXRWNzeFFUMkIrVWQzVE9qY2FvVTJrVDI2SjFWVDl5aGkwa01GZ2l3cjhDcmc9In0%3D

The changing nature of healthcare and patients’ desire for convenience have given rise to nontraditional care formats such as stand-alone emergency rooms and “micro-hospitals,” and now “bedless hospitals” are joining the push.

Such hospitals still have standard hospital features, including infusion suites, emergency rooms, helipads and operating areas, but no overnight space, according to STAT. For example, MetroHealth System recently opened a $48 million bedless facility in the Cleveland area. CEO Akram Boutros, M.D., said staff is expecting to serve around 3,000 patients during this first year.

“It reduces cost, and it reduces the risk of infection,” Boutros told the publication. “People go home to a less-risky environment, where they tend to get better faster.”