A new hospital is to be built in Aviemore to serve the local communities of Badenoch and Strathspey, replacing two old facilities.
Health secretary Shona Robison had approved NHS Highland's "exciting proposals" for the modernisation of its community and hospital services in the area.
The go-ahead will see the construction of a new community hospital and resource centre at a cost estimated to be between £12m and £15m. It will herald the eventual closure of the Ian Charles Hospital in Grantown-on-Spey and the St Vincent's Hospital in Kingussie.
It is hoped that construction will start around summer 2017, with a possible occupation in December the following year.
NHS Highland chair Garry Coutts said: "I am delighted that after a comprehensive engagement and consultation process the people of Badenoch and Strathspey can now look forward to the provision of redesigned services and a state-of-the-art new facility in their community. It is great news for them and I am grateful to everyone who has contributed to this process."
He said that as well as a new hospital, the decision would mean the expansion of care-at-home and community services, which would support the further integration of health and social care. This was something Ms Robison said in a letter to Mr Coutts that she considered a "vital component" of the plans.
Aviemore Health Centre and the Glen Day Centre in Aviemore will also be relocated to the new facility which will be built in the technology park, in the centre of the community.
There was some local opposition to the option of a new hospital ibut Ms Robison said: "The Scottish Government is committed to providing modern, state-of-the-art healthcare facilities in which to provide the high-quality care patients rightly expect. These proposals will bring new, modern facilities to the area and I look forward to the board taking them forward in close consultation with the people of Badenoch and Strathspey."
In her letter to Mr Coutts, the Cabinet Secretary said that in considering the proposals, she had to be convinced that they were in the best interest of patients; that key local services would be safeguarded and improved; that the health board's new hospital plan was credible and viable.
She said the board's proposals would "provide modern, fit-for-purpose services for the benefit of patients in all the local communities, including Grantown-on-Spey and Kingussie".
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