Ground broken for digital hospital - In the News - HealthSouth Corp - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Healthcare Financial Management, Jan, 2002

Ground has been broken for construction of the first state-of-the-art, fully automated hospital, which is being built by HealthSouth Corporation, Birmingham, Alabama. Scheduled to open in 2003, the hospital will replace the current HealthSouth Medical Center in Birmingham. The project, which was announced last spring, is a strategic partnership among HealthSouth; 15 medical-equipment manufacturers, system designers, and other healthcare specialty firms; and Oracle Corporation, a software provider. The goal of the project is to improve healthcare delivery through the use of fully integrated technology.

The 10-story, 219-bed facility will have more than 500,000 square feet of floor space and will include a hotel, retail shops, media center, and visitors' area. Constructing and equipping the facility are expected to cost between $100 million and $125 million.