Health System to add new medical complex

The University of Pennsylvania Health System is expanding to provide more extensive and convenient services to the community. The Zoning Hearing Board of the township of Radnor, Pa. has granted the Health System permission to build a new medical office complex in the township. According to Health System spokesperson Lori Doyle, the ruling "finally came" last week after long hearings. The board rejected a complaint put forth by Main Line Health Corporation -- a Radnor-based system -- that the facility would have a negative effect on parking and traffic in the area. Construction will "hopefully start in another few weeks," according to Chief Facilities Planner Joe Reagan. The University began to look into expanding when patients at a current facility in King of Prussia, Pa. mentioned the need for more specialists in the area. According to Reagan, the University currently treats about 4,000 patients from the Radnor area. "This new location will provide the convenience of quality care to our patients," he said. "It will also allow us the expansion room we need." The permit allows the University to undertake $9.7 million in renovations to a building it currently owns, Doyle said. She added that the new center will be made up of health care offices, and will provide services commonly found in doctors' offices. "There will be dental medicine, dermatology, chemotherapy -- basic services like that," Doyle said. Reagan added that the primary care physicians will also be housed in the building. The 21 physicians who will move to the new building are already employed by the University. Doyle said she does not think there will be any tension between Main Line and the University once the plans are underway. However, Main Line spokesperson Richard Wells said his organization believes the University's proposal does not comply with current zoning laws in the proposed area. Wells added that Main Line feels the University's actual building plans do not comply with the project they have been speaking of. "They seem to have another idea in mind," he said. "They've allowed for a CT scanner, an operating room, an ambulatory station -- it's a hospital without beds." But Doyle said the center will simply house offices and "there will be no surgery or radiation therapy performed there." She added that Main Line is "obviously threatened and understandably tried to block our efforts." Wells said Main Line's opposition to the project lies solely in the question of zoning laws. "We don't have a problem competing with Penn," he said. Wells added that, to his knowledge, there are still some outstanding issues with the Pennsylvania Department of Health which must be cleared up "before Penn can actually say they've been approved." According to Doyle, all hospitals or health systems wishing to expand just check with the State Department of Health to see if they require a Certificate of Need to certify their building plans. However, Doyle said that the University is sure that their plans will not require such a certificate as they will not be performing "hospital-like" procedures at the new building.