Despite resistance from lawmakers in Kansas and Missouri, Liberty Hospital has officially joined the University of Kansas Health System, leaders announced Monday.
Health system leaders announced the merger’s completion Monday in a short video alongside the CEO of Liberty Hospital, located in suburban Kansas City north of the Missouri River.
In May 2023, Liberty leadership began looking for a partnership with another health system to help the hospital meet growing demand. It announced in October that it had selected the University of Kansas.
Raghu Adiga — who served as CEO of Liberty Hospital and is now CEO of Liberty Market for KU — said the hospital board evaluated more than 30 potential partners. He said he was “more than convinced” that merging with the Kansas hospital system was the right decision.
“We share a commitment to putting patients first,” Adiga said. “We put our employees first and believe in providing quality care close to home. To have a strong community, we need to have strong health care. We believe this relationship strengthens not only Liberty Hospital, but the Liberty community and the entire Northland.”
Tammy Peterman, president of KU Health’s Kansas City division, said about 35 percent of the health system’s patients currently come from Missouri and KU already has clinics in the state.
“We knew that eventually we would need a way to care for more patients in Missouri and the Northland to keep care close to home,” Peterman said. “…So today is an important milestone for us as well: our very first hospital in Missouri. »
Health system leaders did not respond to questions from reporters after the news conference. Asked about the terms of the agreement, a KU spokeswoman said in an email that health system leaders were “celebrating the next few days” and were not available for comment.
The merger of KU and Liberty was met with disdain by some lawmakers in Kansas and Missouri. Former Missouri Sen. Greg Razer, a Kansas City Democrat, pushed for the merger. legislation earlier this year to block the dealcalling it “mind-boggling” and saying that The idea of a Kansas health system owning a Missouri hospital seemed “terribly wrong.”
But supporters of the deal argued that Liberty needed a larger hospital partner to be able to expand and invest in its facilities. A Liberty board member told lawmakers this spring that if the hospital did not merge with KU, it could be purchased by a for-profit chain and stop offering some of its services, becoming “a bit more than a sorting center.”
Bob Page, president and CEO of the University of Kansas Health System, said it is “incredibly difficult in health care today to remain a completely independent hospital” like Liberty.
“They have found a new path to continue providing quality care in the Northland for generations to come,” Page said. “By being part of this health system, they will be able to offer some of the most advanced treatments and expertise in the country.” »
Razer’s legislation passed a Senate committee but never received a floor vote.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey also opposed the merger, writing in a letter to Senate leaders in January that the deal was illegal unless the Missouri General Assembly approved it. A lawyer for Liberty, however, said the deal was structured to comply with state law.
Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, expressed frustration with the merger during a committee meeting in November, saying struggling Kansas hospitals could have benefited from a partnership with KU.
And Kansas Sen. J.R. Claeys, a Salina Republican, introduced legislation that would have required KU to obtain authorization from the Kansas Legislature before entering into an agreement involving the acquisition, construction, repair or improvement from property outside of Kansas. The bill was never heard.
Meanwhile, the systems were working to finalize a deal that is expected to include an investment in Liberty’s facilities.
Peterman said that over the coming months, KU leaders will learn more about how Liberty works and how best to integrate it into the health system.
“That includes everything from inpatient and outpatient care to supply chain and branding,” she said. “Ultimately, we want to make sure we’re one health system that delivers a seamless and consistent patient experience.”
