Micro Hospital Opens On Milwaukee’s Far South Side
For-profit Milwaukee ER & Hospital aims to offer accessible, 'concierge level' care.
Milwaukee ER & Hospital, 1751 W. Layton Ave. Photo provided.
A new, for-profit medical care provider, Milwaukee ER & Hospital, has set up shop near Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport and Interstate 94.
Texas-based Nutex Health celebrated the opening of its first Milwaukee micro hospital last month.
The emerging health care model is designed to provide less expensive care closer to where patients live and, possibly, relieve stress on major hospitals. And while Milwaukee’s nonprofit health care conglomerates have tested their own smaller facilities, the new model is creating space for new, for-profit operators to enter the market.
The Milwaukee micro hospital, estimated in 2021 to cost $13 million, is Nutex’s third facility to open in 2024 and the 23rd overall. It opened a Green Bay facility earlier this year.
“Our expert team of emergency physicians looks forward to showing each patient individualized, excellent care,” stated Dr. Michaela Wood, Chief Medical Officer at Milwaukee ER & Hospital.
According to a company press release, it includes six inpatient beds, eight emergency room beds, one procedure room, a pharmacy, laboratory and MRI, CT, X-Ray and Ultrasound imaging.
“We are excited to provide concierge level medical care to the south Milwaukee market, which historically has been underserved,” said Nutex CEO Dr. Tom Vo in a statement.
The 22,345-square-foot building is located at 1751 W. Layton Ave. But, in accordance with a 2021 Board of Zoning Appeals approval, the only way to access the property is from S. 20th Street.
The prior reconfiguration of the Layton Avenue freeway on-off ramps and the expansion of the Mitchell Interchange created the 10.85-acre site. Nutex purchased the entire property from an affiliate of hotelier Woodspring Suites, which saw its extended stay hotel proposal rejected by the Common Council in 2018.
The hospital and its parking lot occupy a 2.5-acre site, while Nutex has created two other development sites, 4720 S. 20th St. and 4760 S. 20th St., with the remaining property to the west and south.
Zimmerman Architectural Studios led the project’s design. CD Smith served as the general contractor.
Ascension, which operates a series of full-sized hospitals throughout Wisconsin and the rest of the country, developed its own network of three micro-hospitals in the Milwaukee area. Calling them “neighborhood hospitals,” it opened facilities in Menomonee Falls, Greenfield and Waukesha in 2021.
Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin operate “community hospitals” in Pewaukee, Mequon, New Berlin and Oak Creek.
Publicly-traded Nutex Health has a market capitalization of approximately $218 million. It went public under a reverse merger in 2022. It has hospitals in 10 states.
The hospital does not accept Medicare or Medicaid, but Nutex does offer its own Medicare Advantage plans in other states it serves.
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