University of Michigan may convert old Mott Hospital into extension of adult hospital
The University of Michigan Health System may convert the old C.S. Mott Children's and Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital building into an extension of the adult hospital.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
Converting the former Mott Hospital building into single-adult rooms for the University Hospital is the “most likely” solution, said Pat Warner, executive director for the Mott and Von Voigtlander hospitals.
U-M on Sunday moved its inpatient operations from the old Mott facility to the new 1.1 million-square-foot building, which took more than five years and $754 million to construct.
Although the U-M Health System has spent about seven years planning for the new Mott, little has been said about the fate of the old complex, which opened in 1969 with 200 beds and was renovated in the 1980s.
The old Mott Hospital is physically connected to the University Hospital, making a conversion a natural way to expand the capacity of the adult hospital.
It was not immediately clear whether the U-M Health System envisions the proposal as a permanent solution to meet projected increases in patient volume or whether it would be a temporary solution.
“There’s been a lot of conversations about that looks like, how many beds, what kinds of services,” said Loree Collett, associate hospital administrator for Mott and Von Voigtlander and operational lead for the new Mott construction project.
Hospital executives were quick to say that the university had not made a formal decision to press ahead with the conversion project.
The new Mott Hospital has enjoyed a wave of publicity in recent months, but the University Hospital remains the university’s biggest health care operation.
The 11-story University Hospital, which opened in 1986, has 1.79 million square feet — which is 62.7 percent larger than the sparkling new Mott Hospital facility.
The university declined to provide a University Hospital executive to comment for this story.
In June, U-M Hospitals and Health Centers projected a 2.3 percent increase in patient days and a 4 percent rise in outpatient activity from the 2010-11 fiscal year to 2011-12. The university also projected a rise in occupancy from 85.2 percent to 86.7 percent.
The U-M Health System employs more than 22,000 workers and pays more than $1 billion in annual wages.
Contact AnnArbor.com's Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's newsletters.
Comments
trespass
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 9:34 a.m.
More and more fancy palaces for medicine. No wonder our insurance rates keep increasing.
Sparty
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 6:37 p.m.
You'd prefer outdated, ill equipped medical facilities for emergency care and hospitalizations ?
Kai Petainen
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 2:05 a.m.
on the topic of hospitals... look at the freep article: "Aetna: Michigan Blue Cross soaked consumers, paid hospitals to soak competitors" <a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20111206/NEWS06/111206038/Aetna-files-lawsuit-accuses-Michigan-Blue-Cross-soaking-consumers" rel='nofollow'>http://www.freep.com/article/20111206/NEWS06/111206038/Aetna-files-lawsuit-accuses-Michigan-Blue-Cross-soaking-consumers</a> "The giant health insurer Aetna filed a lawsuit in Detroit's federal court today claiming Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan raised rates to consumers and then gave the extra money to hospitals that agreed to charge higher prices to Blues competitors. The suit alleges that the Blues "implemented a scheme to use ever-increasing premiums from the patients and employers it serves in order to protect its dominant position and thwart competition from Aetna and its competitors."
a2phiggy
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 1:30 a.m.
And where will they park?
Sparty
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 6:40 p.m.
Where ever patients for the old Mott & Children's Hospital parked previously ? Given that they plan to convert the spaces to private rooms, the required number of parking spaces would decline. In addition, staff is no longer allowed to park in P1, P2, P3, etc. and must park in remote lots which is opening many more spots for patients and family members.
1bit
Tue, Dec 6, 2011 : 10:49 p.m.
Logistically, it is not a good idea. Old Mott is too remote from the Main Hospital. It would be better to convert it into a specialty area of sorts. Maybe a Mental health clinic. Maybe have it be a clinical trials area. There's a lot of possibilities and I think that using them as "regular beds" would only be a stepping stone to something else.
1bit
Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 12:02 a.m.
That's not true. Sometimes people were transported, but generally most things were handled in the building itself. For sick adult patients, the intensive care units and majority of the medical staff would be quite far - particularly in an emergency (or code) situation.
Sparty
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 6:42 p.m.
How could that be? Women and Children from Old Mott had many tests done in or conducted by staff in the Main Hospital for decades. Why is it now too remote?
Joe_Citizen
Tue, Dec 6, 2011 : 9:49 p.m.
That's a great idea, because the last time I was kept there for three days I had to wait a day for a available room. this will give them much more space for high accountability. and make it a more efficient hospital.
Ignatz
Tue, Dec 6, 2011 : 9:07 p.m.
Might not be a bad idea to design it for exclusive geriatric use.
Sparty
Tue, Dec 6, 2011 : 8:39 p.m.
Great idea to begin planning to add to the main hospital space now.
Jim Osborn
Tue, Dec 6, 2011 : 8:18 p.m.
This makes a lot more sense than tearing it down as St. Joe did with their younger building a couple of years ago
jmac
Tue, Dec 6, 2011 : 8:17 p.m.
Given that the 'New Mott' was 7 years in the planning and construction stages, you'd think UMHHS would have come up with a plan for the 'Old Mott' by now. Why the delay???