University of Kansas Health System, Liberty Hospital announce plans for partnership
Liberty Hospital, an independent institution in Kansas City’s Northland for nearly 50 years, could soon join the growing University of Kansas Health System, hospital officials said Thursday.
Liberty Hospital’s board of trustees voted to pursue a partnership with KU, a decision that came after the public hospital announced in May its plans to begin a national search for a “strategic growth partner.” Over the coming days, leaders plan to draft a letter of intent outlining the specifics of aligning the two.
In a statement, Raghu Adiga, Liberty Hospital’s president and CEO, said KU is believed to be “uniquely positioned to support us in bringing world-class clinical excellence to the Northland and northwest Missouri, making exceptional healthcare as close and convenient as it can be.”
“From the outset, we focused on finding a partner who will invest in increasing access to high-quality care, offers a great cultural fit, and upholds our commitment to the community and our employees,” Adiga said.
Bob Page, president and CEO of The University of Kansas Health System, said “Liberty and the region deserve access to the highest quality care close to home.
“Together, we can deliver the full spectrum of care while keeping care local,” Page said.
A final agreement is expected to be struck in a matter of months. Meanwhile, patients and employees of both health care systems will see no immediate changes as officials say business will continue as usual.
Liberty Hospital, a public hospital overseen by a six-member elected board, has 1,900 employees and 330 physicians. It has expanded in recent years to include 15 primary and specialty care clinics.
The University of Kansas Health System, affiliated with KU’s School of Medicine, has more than 140 hospital and clinic locations, including its main hospital in Kansas City, Kansas.
The announcement comes roughly one year after officials from KU and Olathe Health in Johnson County, which operated as a separate health care system for 70 years, said they would merge.
That plan finalized in January as Olathe Health’s 2,400 employees, 350 health care providers and 250 volunteers became part of KU.
The Olathe system operated Olathe Medical Center with 250 staff beds and Miami County Medical Center in Paola with 39 beds.
The Star’s Lisa Gutierrez contributed to this report.
