March 10, 2021 – The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine faculty practice, University Hospitals Authority and Trust (parent organization of OU Medicine) and OU Medicine, Inc. have announced the intent to merge their hospitals and clinics into one unified organization.
The organizations say this union will create “Oklahoma’s first truly integrated, comprehensive academic health system.”
As a result of the merger, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, through its new affiliation agreement with OU Health, is poised to dramatically increase its healthcare research activity and better meet the growing demand for educating and training more healthcare professionals in Oklahoma.
As part of the merger, the OU College of Medicine faculty practice will create a new clinic practice to deliver clinical care within OU Health facilities, while continuing education and research activity within OU. This new clinic practice will formally merge with the hospital partner in order to unify the academic health system. The OU Health board of directors will be the single governing board of the health system and will consist of OU officers, UHAT Board Members and community leaders.
A national search has commenced for the new OU Health CEO and is expected to complete in mid-2021.
A non-binding letter of intent (LOI) is in place between the organizations, and definitive agreements are expected to be reached in the coming months.