University of Iowa (UI) Health Care has commemorated the one-year anniversary of the opening of its orthopedics-focused North Liberty, Iowa, campus.
In addition to orthopedic care and surgical services, the facility also provides physical therapy and rehabilitation, an emergency department, a full-service pharmacy, diagnostic imaging, and lab services. Over its first 11 months, the North Liberty campus recorded more than 140,000 outpatient visits to its orthopedic clinics, more than 2,500 admissions for inpatient orthopedic care, more than 8,000 OR cases, more than 23,000 physical therapy and rehabilitation therapy visits, and more than 9,000 emergency department visits. The medical center reports that it has treated patients from every county in Iowa, as well as 49 U.S. states and several countries.
And it’s not done growing, as it has already received approval from the Iowa Board of Regents on a $24 million project to complete and fill the facility’s shell space that was designated for future expansion. The first-phase build-out, projected to begin later this year, will activate approximately 5,300 square feet of space on the second floor with four ORs, four PACU rooms, and eight prep/recovery rooms. The second phase will activate 6,400 square feet on the fourth floor with a “clinical exam pod” of 12 exam rooms, a treatment room, an X-ray room, an office work area, and a supply room.
The campus “has exceeded our expectations in terms of providing high-quality orthopedics care,” says Denise Jamieson, MD, MPH, UI vice president for medical affairs and the Tyrone D. Artz Dean of the Carver College of Medicine. Brad Haws, MBA, associate vice president for UI Health Care and CEO of the clinical enterprise, said patient volume since the facility opened “has far surpassed our initial projections … By finishing the existing shell space, we’ll be better equipped to accommodate the continued — and increasing — demand for our care and expertise in orthopedic surgical and clinical services.”
“It's a much smoother process for patients to be seen in our clinics, undergo surgery, and receive physical therapy,” said Brian Wolf, MD, MS, professor and interim chair of the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, who hailed the facility’s Orthopedic Injury Walk-In Clinic, which offers weekday, evening and Saturday hours, for driving patient volume. “We also have quicker access to radiology services, as some of these imaging units are just steps away from our clinic exam rooms.”
The facility also features a surgery and arthroplasty skills teaching area to train future orthopedic specialists.
UI Health Care added that North Liberty staff are cross-trained across multiple patient care units, as well as in “operational problem-solving, and proactively identifying challenges and opportunities for improvement.” With an employee engagement score at the 88th percentile nationally, UI says it is successfully both recruiting and retaining staff.
Read much more about UI’s success with the new (and growing) North Liberty campus here.
