Parkridge Health System in Chattanooga, Tenn., is the latest area medical center planning a major expansion plan in the next several years. The $62 million expansion will overhaul two floors at the five-story hospital and create a sleek new entrance, according to an article on the Times Free Press website.
"It will get us in a more modern, state-of the art configuration. It really helps us address so many of the design flaws hospitals face with patient flow," said Jim Coleman, chief operating officer for Parkridge Health System.
The two other large health systems in Chattanooga, CHI Memorial Health Care System and Erlanger Health System, are pouring millions of dollars into their own expansions and renovations.
It's happening amid concern over whether Tennessee will ever expand its Medicaid program — something hospitals have said is crucial for their bottom lines, the article said.
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