Mercy Iowa City officially becomes University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center Downtown

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – The sale of Mercy Iowa City to University of Iowa Health Care is officially complete. Wednesday, the integration of the Mercy Iowa City Hospital to the University of Iowa was completed.

Signs on the exterior of the building were changed to reflect the new owner and the new name of the downtown location. The signs outside the former Mercy Iowa City hospital now say Iowa Health Care, Downtown Campus.

The full name of the building will be called the University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center Downtown.

”We’re very excited to welcome our colleagues as new employees and to ensure our patients continue to seek care here and there’s no interruption of care,” said Dr. Denise Jamieson, vice president of medical affairs for the University of Iowa Health Care.

Roughly 1,000 providers from Mercy Iowa City joined the UIHC team through the transition.

In August of last year Mercy Iowa City announced it was declaring bankruptcy.

The hospital originally announced its own financial investor, Preston Hollow Community Capital had won the bid during bankruptcy auction. Just weeks later, following further discussion, the hospital said the University of Iowa actually won the bid.

”The bankruptcy proceedings will go on, but we are not a part of that process. That will proceed independently, and we’re really focused on going forward so ensuring patient care continues from here on out,” Jamieson said.

As of right now, UIHC says services the hospital provides will stay the same so care is not interrupted. Most patients who were being seen at Mercy Iowa City will not see any immediate changes in care through the transition.

”In the coming week’s we’re really focused on welcoming our new colleagues and ensuring access and continuity of care so no decisions have been made yet about what services will continue but we’re going to get input from the community and input from patients and make strategic decisions that make sense to Iowa City and the region,” Jamieson said.

Changes will come in other forms.

”We’re very committed to changing the electronic medical record, we’re committed to make sure everyone has access to parking and that the parking structures are safe and accessible,” Jamieson said.

UIHC is looking to switch electronic medical records over to the same system the main campus uses, Epic.

With the university being a part of the state hospital system, the connection to the Sisters of Mercy will not continue. The crosses were removed from the outside of the building.

An inter-denominational chapel will be available to patients.

“We’re really trying to continue the spirit of hospitality that was so important to this campus for so many decades,” Jamieson said.

Another hospital will be coming to UIHC, the North Liberty campus. That should be open mid-2025.

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