Hospital to construct addtition
The Cache Valley Specialty Hospital (CVSH) in Logan is expanding its facilities and physical construction to accommodate the increasing patients.
The expansion will begin shortly and is expected to be completed by August 2002.
“The reason for the expansion is because we are full,” said Scott Brown, chief executive officer of CVSH.
Brown said 10 additional beds will be added in the expansion. He said CVSH makes sure the community receives optimum care. The expansion, Brown said, will increase more surgical facilities and other services to meet the needs of the community.
Currently, according to CVSH’s press release, the services provided include a “full range of surgical procedures, 24-hour emergency care, mammography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed topography (CT), ultrasound, specialized fluoroscopy, general X-ray, physical therapy, cardiopulmonary” and more.
One of the many reasons for the expansion, Brown said, is because the physicians of CVSH “feel that they need to have a more responsive facility.” Because almost half of CVSC is owned by its physicians, they feel it is their responsibility to provide a better care for their patients, Brown said.
“We have a community of about 90,000 people,” Brown said. “The nice thing about having an additional health care service is it raises the level of health care for everybody because there is competition.”
He also said, as a result, people have more choice because they can now go out and find the best choice there is.
“So far, being out on this business for about a year, we are already expanding, and that tells you how it has been received by the community in the medical standard,” Brown said. “Our facilities are based on surgery, and that’s why we are called a specialty hospital.”
Brown also said because the physicians own half of the hospital, the services are very customer-oriented. As a result, more patients from the community are choosing CVSH. He said CVSH provides the best possible care with the cheapest price the community can get.
Although the expansion costs about $1 million, Brown said CVSH is not looking for a better cost but a better facility. He said the expansion is going to accommodate more critical-type patients.
“We are going to put ourselves in a position that will roll as fast as they [the community] want us to roll,” Brown said. “We are a byproduct of this community.”
Shane Hone, director of public relations for IHC Logan Regional Hospital, said, “I think the expansion will have some impact on our book of business.”
He said there is no doubt competition in health care exists now in the valley. But he also said, the mission of health care is to provide the highest quality of service at the lowest affordable cost, and that will continue to be IHC’s mission.
Although CVSH’s expansion may create competition, Hone said it is not going to distract IHC from what it is already doing.
“We are one of America’s top hospitals,” he said. “We will continue to do the things that got us the award.”
Hone also said health care is driven a lot by insurance. IHC owns an insurance book of business, he said, and patients are required to use IHC’s services if they buy the insurance.
“They make a choice before they purchase their insurance,” Hone said.
Unlike hospitals like IHC, Brown said, “As a health care facility, we can’t go out in the community and dictate or control how health care should be delivered to them.
Brown also said he is appreciative that Intermountain Health Care Hospital (IHC) gives CVSH the opportunity to compete in the market.
“We are here for the community and physicians,” Brown said. “And we grow in response to their needs.”
According to CVSH’s official pamphlet, the hospital supports “local elementary, high school and Utah State University athletic and education programs.” To Tana Casteel, who was a patient at CVSH, she was greeted the moment she entered the hospital with warmth and care from the “entire staff” of CVSH.
According to the press release, construction for the expansion will begin this spring and is expected to complete in August.