To address increased demand for outpatient services and too many unused inpatient beds, a Texas hospital plans to create a short-stay center — a move that other other hospitals across  America  may want to consider, suggests FierceHealthcare.

Despite a recent uptick in inpatient use, industry experts expect declining inpatient volumes to continue  with more care shifting to outpatient settings.  Other  factors include  slow  elective admissions, pressure to keep readmissions low, care integration focused on prevention and technology making  outpatient care safer.

So, the News of Port Arthur reports, Christus Southeast Texas Health System, in Port Arthur, will drop its traditional hospital model and convert St. Mary Hospital to a short-stay center in early September, with five of the hospital’s departments moving to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont, along with high-risk or long-term patients.

Wayne Moore, vice president of operations for Christus Southeast Texas facilities, told the paper that the patient population simply isn’t using the departing services.

He told the News: “[w]e have to redefine what hospitals are, which is more and more outpatient facilities with very limited inpatient space. That’s how we’re changing to fit the needs of our patients–and it’s based on the model they’ve prepared through the services they use every day.”

After the conversion, St. Mary will provide outpatient emergency services, radiology/laboratory services, chemotherapy and infusion, and surgical capabilities; emergency services will continue unchanged.