Wonderful Medical News for The Villages
 

I'm surprised nobody on TOTV took the time to cheer for the good medical news in Tuesday's Daily Sun. The article gave details about the Center for Advanced Healthcare at Brownwood.

It will be a 285,000-square-foot, golf cart-accessible medical center – a bedless hospital of sorts that features everything but an intensive care unit and an emergency department. It will be located on 31 acres on SR 44 and due west of Grand Traverse Plaza.

What took me by surprise is the long list of partners in this project - The Villages Health anchoring primary and specialty care services alongside Florida Cancer Specialists, Lake Medical Imaging, LabCorp diagnostics and testing, Lake Centre for Rehab, St. Luke’s Cataract & Laser Institute and Walgreens Pharmacy.

When fully completed, there will also be a 151-room hotel, a Wolfgang Puck-licensed restaurant and a full-service medical spa.

Link to article: Specialty Care Enters New Era in The Villages - The Villages Daily Sun: News

In addition to this, there was the announcement a few weeks ago by Central Florida Health of an expansion plan at Brownwood. The parent of The Villages Regional Hospital and Leesburg Regional Medical Center has under contract 40 acres due south of Brownwood with immediate plans to build a 24/7 emergency department and possibly another golf cart-accessible hospital.

Perhaps because it is older news that folks have read and already "expressed their disappointments" that the new hospital with in-patient medical facilities is still just a maybe?

I would not expect inpatient beds to be in the offing any time soon. They just spent a ton on the north campus with the just completed expansion. What they should have done, IMO, was to build a significant outpatient presence at Brownwood about 4 years ago, with plans to start building beds in the latter half of 2019. They are now carrying a lot of debt and will have to deal with that first.

I find it interesting the Villages Health invited Lab Corps to the party, rather than TVH’s lab services.


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My two cents worth
 

As to so many partners. I would guess like some department stores each specialty such as imaging invests in the location-the real estate.

"Bedless Hospital," with intensive care? That does not make sense to me. If, you have a major issue-heart attack for example, they, plan on shuffling you somewhere else??

They made it clear they wi8ll not have an ER so heart attacks, strokes and other major issues will go someplace else. It will not be a trauma center so major injuries will go someplace else. It will not be 24 x 7. If they are doing surgery or procedures that require an overnight stay or two there will be rooms in the hotel to accommodate.

Will you have to be a member of United Health Care to be able to use all these facilities? We were kicked out of the Villages Health System so wondering if these facilities will be available to all of us who have other health insurances.

I have the same question.

You misread the statement - "a bedless hospital of sorts that features everything but an intensive care unit and an emergency department."

I believe that ANYONE will be able to use these facilities. Already today, ANYONE can see TV Health specialists. We must have United Healthcare The Villages Advantage Plan to see the TV Health primary care physicians. Frankly, from a Return on Investment strategy, it would be foolish to place such a restriction on a facility which, I believe, will draw patients from a very large surrounding area - patients with every insurance coverage under the sun.

I thought the major impediment to building a hospital was getting clearance from the state to operate it?

Just a guess with 30,000 more houses being added on the southern end of the Villages in the next decade it seems like a new hospital could easily make money, esp. with the state limiting the construction of other hospital. That money will go to the first hospital group that gets the state to approve the building a new hospital.

As far as debt goes as long as there was a sound, believable business plan why does it matter if CFH add's to its debt to build it or some other hospital group does?

CFH has already said they have on land south of 44 to build a 24/7 free standing ER.

FL Certificate of Need requirements are not nearly as stringent as they have been in the past. New facilities do need a CoN or a letter of exemption, but the addition of many routine services are no longer regulated.

Hospital financing is a complex issue. NFPs will typically sell bonds while investor owned groups have a little more flexibility in financing a new facility. As far as debt goes, the more debt an organization has the more difficult it becomes to add more debt for new construction. A 2 hospital org will typically have less opportunity to obtain financing than a 20 or 100 hospital org - assuming all have reasonable financial ratios.

Are you sure it’s CFH that has the 40 Acres south of 44? And not Florida Hospital or HCA?


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The article September 18th in the Daily Sun reported it was Central Florida Health building the new 24/7 ER on the 40 Acres just south of Brownwood.

There was an article (where??? don't remember I'll keep looking for it) that said CFH was looking at land for a third hospital.

In response to an email I sent to Villages Hospital about wait times at the ED Don Henderson (CFH President) replied:

"We have purchased property in Brownwood/Wildwood and we are working on a new ED facility for that community as well."

The article I can't find also mentioned the new ED.

It is definitely CFH. in addition to the Daily Sun article, I was in a meeting where Michael Pittman, TVRH site administrator, stated this.

Yes.

The announcement a few weeks ago by Central Florida Health indicated an expansion plan at Brownwood. The article stated that CFH has under contract 40 acres due south of Brownwood with immediate plans to build a 24/7 emergency department and possibly another golf cart-accessible hospital.

So, the 24/7 emergency department will be step #1. Step #2 may follow later, which will be another hospital.

Thanks


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I am confused. You state that I ( who do NOT have a United Health Advantage Plan ) COULD see a "TV specialist"--which sounds good. BUT--wouldn't I have to be referred to that "specialist" by a TV "primary care" doctor ( which I cannot use ). OR--could my primary care doctor ( who is NOT a "TV doctor ), refer me to the "TV specialist"?

Isn't the overall problem of the local hospitals Staffing and the lack of over abundance qualified medical personnel. Where do they think they will find a pool of professional medical personnel in Wildwood??
Its great news to learn about all this medical development but without state-of-the-art technology and the knowledgeable and educated staffing found locally, where does all this go?
How is the proposed emergency department going to convince quality emergency doctors and associated staff to relocate to Wildwood, FL?
Isn't this the whole basic problem?

My doctor likes living hereabouts. We do too and we had our choice where to live just like everyone else who moved here.

I dunno. It isn't living here that is the problem but the draw of a hospital that isn't really the sparkling best to entice the best and the brightest medical folks.

Good question?

Anyone can see a TVH specialist... they accept a bunch of different insurance plans, not just UHC Advantage.

Whether or not you need a referral to see a specialist depends on your insurance plan... some require your PC doc' to make a referral and some don't The TVH UHC Advantage does not require a referral. But some specialists require a referral too.

If you are in TVH UNC Advantage if you do see a TVH specialist they use the same health records data base so they can do a better job managing your case.

I know my wife's PC doc' and her TVH specialist worked together quite well.

Do TVH specialists give priority to TVH UHC Advantage members... I don't know.

Perhaps I am in the minority thinking, but The Villages has a history of over-promising and under delivering

I really don’t think there’s a ‘perhaps’ about it.

The Villages Hospital is not run by The Villages. It is run by a corporation called Central Florida Health that runs the one in The Villages and the one in Leesburg. The building was built by the developer who leases it to CFH.

I can't think of any "promises made by The Developer not followed through and swept under the rug." Can you name some?

Very important point. They probably should have named it differently to dispel the confusion. The Villages Health is not the same as The Villages Hospital, either.

Didn't even put a shovel in the ground and already beating the crap out of it. Unbelievable!

I think it makes a lot of sense.

It will put specialists, including cardiologists closer to residents of the southern end of the Villages... part of the new facility will be used as office space for specialists.

Heart problems are not the only issue the population of the Villages has to deal with, a lot also have joint issues and other problems that the new facility will be able to handle along with the adjoining hotel.

And CFH is putting up a stand-alone ED nearby and has land under contract for a new hospital. Even without the new hospital the Leesburg hospital is about the same distance from the the southern end of the Villages as The Villages Hospital is... so cardiac emergencies in the southern part of the Villages will be nearer to an ER than they are now.

Although it will take some time it looks like medical facilities in the southern end of the Villages will be improved a lot.

:agree: