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East Madison Hospital adds six operating rooms in $140 million expansion
UW Health’s East Madison Hospital is adding surgical and inpatient capacity as annual surgeries have more than doubled since the hospital opened in 2015. The new wing is scheduled to open Nov. 2, bringing additional specialty services and new patient-care technology.
UW Health has invested $140 million in a new wing at East Madison Hospital, adding operating rooms, inpatient beds and space for patients before and after surgery as demand for care grows.
The 120,000-square-foot expansion is scheduled to open Nov. 2. It will increase the hospital’s operating rooms from 14 to 20, expand pre-operation and recovery capacity from 23 to 60 patients, and add 14 inpatient beds, bringing the total to 98. UW Health expects the added capacity to support a 30% increase in annual surgeries.
The hospital performed about 6,000 surgeries in 2015, the year it opened, compared with 14,000 in 2025, said Dr. Michael Sloan, East Madison Hospital’s chief medical officer. Planning for the expansion began about three years ago.
The added space will bring gynecology, gynecologic oncology, ophthalmology and urology services to the hospital. It is also designed to accommodate more procedures common among older adults, including hip surgeries, Sloan said.
Several operating rooms can accommodate a surgical robot used for procedures such as hernia repair, hysterectomies and bariatric surgery. Sloan said the system can allow surgeons to make smaller incisions, which may help patients recover faster. The rooms also have ceiling-mounted ultraviolet lights intended as an added sanitation measure after staff clean them. East Madison is the first UW Health location to use the technology, Sloan said.
Patient rooms were arranged around the outside of the new wing to provide natural light. Each room has a screen displaying the patient’s care plan for the day and a second screen for television and video calls, including telemedicine visits and conversations with family members who cannot visit in person. Virtual family visits can help reduce patient isolation, Sloan said.
The hospital’s location near Dane County Regional Airport and an interstate draws patients from beyond the Madison area. Sloan said about two-thirds of UW Health patients live in Dane County or nearby counties, while roughly one-third come from elsewhere in Wisconsin or nearby states. He expects the number of patients from outside Dane County to keep growing, particularly for surgical care.
The project is part of broader UW Health expansion plans in the Madison area, including planned growth at American Family Children’s Hospital and University Hospital to increase emergency-care capacity.