Danville Hospital Seeks To Acquire Outpatient Center

If state regulators approve, the Danville HealthCare outpatient surgery center will become a unit of Provena United Samaritans Medical Center.

The Danville hospital has applied to acquire the facility, and hospital officials expect the state Health and Facilities Planning Board to hear their case in June.

United Samaritans spokeswoman Gretchen Wesner said having a freestanding outpatient facility will give them more flexibility in treating patients.

"It's often less expansive for a patient to have a procedure at a freestanding center rather than at a hospital," Wedner said. "Their co-pay may be lower if it's a procedure that can be done outside the hospital."

In addition, Wesner said the acquisition would put Danville HealthCare under the hospital's charity care guidelines --- allowing some of the clinic's patents to receive care without charge.

For physicians, Wesner said access to a free-standing outpatient facility will make coming to United Samaritans more attractive.

"Because doctors often like performing procedures in there," Wesner said. "They can be efficient with the way they schedule. We also can bring in specialists that can come and do procedures at a surgery center, without being on our medical staff."

Danville Healthcare is one of three freestanding outpatient surgery centers in the Danville area. In addition, Provena United Samaritans operates an Ambulatory Care Unit at the hospital. Wesner said that facility will continue.