By: Julie Washington, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Outpatient visits per capita have been increasing in the U.S. in recent years at the same time that hospital inpatient admissions have gone down.
Industry watchers say this trend toward outpatient care has changed many facets of the U.S. hospital system, and Northeast Ohio’s hospitals are no exception.
From 2000 to 2023, there was a 31% increase in the rate of outpatient visits in the U.S., according to a 2024 paper from the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, a partnership between the Peterson Center on Healthcare and KFF, which provides up-to-date information on trends and issues that impact the U.S healthcare system.
While outpatient visits decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of outpatient visits has since recovered. By 2023, such visits outpaced pre-pandemic levels, according to the paper.
Now, the nationwide trend toward outpatient care is playing out locally in Cleveland, where all three major health systems are getting on board.
Cleveland Clinic is pivoting toward more outpatient care with the addition of its first West Side pediatric outpatient center, and plans to establish outpatient surgery centers nationwide in partnership with Tennessee-based company Regent Surgical .
University Hospitals is also tapping into the trend by building a next-generation network of urgent care clinics, right next to your neighborhood Chipotle or Starbucks. By 2026, it expects to have 36 UH urgent care centers across northern Ohio.
UH’s expansion mirrors national trends. The number of urgent cares in the U.S. has grown from about 7,000 in 2014 to more than 14,000 in 2023, according to the Urgent Care Association, the industry’s trade association.
The MetroHealth System is also pushing forward with its own investment in new outpatient facilities.
MetroHealth last week announced that its long-delayed Outpatient Health Center — part of the system’s $1 billion Campus Transformation — is now set to open in April 2026.
The facility, formerly known as “Apex,” is under construction next to the Glick Center on the main campus and carries a projected total cost of about $224 million, including construction, medical equipment and furnishings.
The health center will house pediatrics, internal medicine, behavioral health, imaging, oral surgery and other specialties. It will feature electronic check-in kiosks to speed registration and help patients navigate the building, along with a 24-hour drive-thru pharmacy open to both patients and the public.
Construction costs have remained stable since late 2023, though the opening date has slipped from the original 2024 target. MetroHealth officials say upper floors are now nearing completion, with lighting, plumbing, flooring and exterior work underway.
The project comes amid financial turbulence for the health system, which recently announced layoffs and is bracing for operating losses. Even so, MetroHealth leaders are continuing to advance the Campus Transformation plan, which also includes renovations to the emergency department and other campus improvements.
MetroHealth’s decision to double down on outpatient facilities mirrors the broader national shift, as hospitals across the country invest in ambulatory care to meet patient demand for convenience, lower costs and expanded access.