Consultants for the Cook County Health and Hospitals will recommend that the system look to the county's northwest corridor as a new market, while using Oak Forest Hospital as a regional outpatient center.
John Abendshien, a consultant working on a long-term strategic plan for the system, told hospital board members that changes in health care will require more locations to treat more patients, and they must be ready.
"There is going to be a rising tide of demand," he said during the board's regular meeting today.
Oak Forest has long been a drag on the system, with few patients far outnumbered by staff. But turning the hospital into a regional outpatient center could turn its fortunes.
"This will address access issues," Abendshien said. "Retrofitting Oak Forest would be the best launch pad to get us to the regional outpatient center."
Provident Hospital could also see its outpatient services beefed up. Health system leaders expect outpatient visits there to increase from 600,000 to 1 million by 2015.
The plan would also boost capabilities of the county's clinics. Abendshien said the health system must acknowledge a "different era of competition," adding "we shouldn't have two classes of health care in the county."
CEO William Foley said he hopes to present the plan to the County Board in July.
No progress on University of Chicago partnership
Health system leaders are interested in moving forward in evaluating how a partnership between Provident Hospital and the University of Chicago Medical Center might work. But UCMC has been slow to complete the first stages of studying the benefits of a partnership.