By Kyeland Jackson —
Management of U of L Hospital, led by KentuckyOne Health for the past four years, will now pass back to U of L.
U of L’s Board of Trustees announced the transition Tuesday, saying the University Medical Center would take control by July. The agreement says KentuckyOne, alongside UMC and U of L, will pay $44.8 million in capital investments to the hospital by July. KentuckyOne must also complete funding of joint investment proposals set by the Academic Affiliation Agreement. In return, U of L relinquishes rights to three seats on KentuckyOne’s Board of Directors.
“The goal here is not to end the relationship, but to change it in such a way that it is positioned for success so that we can really meet the needs of the citizens of our community most effectively going forward,” U of L Interim Executive Vice President of Health Affairs Gregory Postel said.
“It is important to emphasize that the transition of care will be seamless for our patients, physicians, employees and community partners,” Interim University Medical Center CEO Joan Coleman said in a press release. “We are committed to continuing the facility improvements and staffing initiatives that began during our partnership and look forward to seeing them through to completion. We will be active with focused transition teams working closely with current leaders, physicians and employees across the downtown Louisville campus to ensure continued high-quality care, support our employees and shape the future of our health and wellness.”
Relations between KentuckyOne Health and U of L were unsteady this year, as the university said KentuckyOne was $60 million behind in financial obligations to UMC. Financial withholding and nursing shortages by KentuckyOne drew further critique by the university, which said the managers have caused “serious reputational harm to U of L.”
