Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger Health is not moving forward with plans to build a $180 million standalone orthopedics facility in Northeastern Pennsylvania, as the system reevaluates how it provides certain inpatient services, according to a March 28 Daily Item report.
The planned project, which was to be located in Columbia County, was set to be the “largest facilities investment for 2021” when it was announced in November of that year, the report said.
But patient trends exacerbated by the pandemic meant the system found different ways of dealing with orthopedic care.
“As our orthopedics teams were forced to explore new and innovative ways to deliver care during the COVID-19 pandemic, it resulted in many procedures that once required post-surgery hospitalization now being performed in outpatient or lower acuity settings with better outcomes,” the report said, citing a statement from the health system. “While this was a difficult decision, it was the responsible decision to make at this time.”
Geisinger, which serves a patient base of approximately $1.7 million people, reported an operating loss of $239 million in 2022.
