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An Exciting Future for Healthcare in our Region

Olathe Health is now part of The University of Kansas Health System. Our collaboration will expand access to high-quality care close to home and across the region.

Our Vision

As one health system, patients will receive high-quality care from the local providers they know and trust while having expanded access to more comprehensive and integrated care.

“Our focus on quality, service and people is how The University of Kansas Health System has become a regional and national leader, as well as a place patients depend on for the answers and treatments they need,” said Tammy Peterman, MS, RN, FAAN, president of the Kansas City Division of The University of Kansas Health System. “Our shared commitment to delivering the very best care for patients in our region and our shared values of trust, compassion and doing what’s best for patients is why our relationship has evolved.”

“Our region deserves high-quality healthcare close to home,” said Bob Page, president and CEO of The University of Kansas Health System. “By coming together as one health system, patients will have the opportunity to access the most advanced care in a more seamless way.”

“Our shared focus on putting patients first is what led the Olathe Health Board of Directors and senior leaders to seek partnership with The University of Kansas Health System,” said Jason Hannagan, interim CEO of Olathe Health. “Today’s announcement and our future together will ensure a thriving healthcare system for the communities we serve.”

Coming Together as One

Over the next several months, we will collaboratively begin planning for Olathe Health to integrate into The University of Kansas Health System in a way that respectfully supports both organizations’ patients, providers and employees. Nothing changes for patients today; they can continue to see the same providers in the same way they currently do. 

While integration planning will determine specifics, final agreements include:

  • We will uphold Olathe Health’s ongoing commitment to support the community through sponsorships, memberships and other community engagements.
  • Significant capital investments in current Olathe Health services, facilities, infrastructure, technology and equipment will be made over time.
  • Current services will be enhanced in the Olathe Health service area to deliver on the health system’s commitment to excellence. Examples include:
    • Building upon Olathe Health’s strong cancer program by bringing cancer care from The University of Kansas Cancer Center, an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, to the Olathe campus.
    • Continuing to build opportunities for care at a new facility currently being constructed at 151st and Quivira
    • Extending the health system’s highly specialized provider network
    • Supporting Olathe Medical Center through the Magnet journey, the nation’s most respected designation for nursing excellence
  • All employees and employed advanced practice providers (APPs) of Olathe Health are now part of The University of Kansas Health System, maintaining credit for years of service.  
  • Physicians currently employed by Olathe Health remain employed by Olathe Health Physicians, Inc., which is now part of The University of Kansas Health System. Employed physicians will not experience any changes to their employment immediately but will work with The University of Kansas Physicians (UKP) at a future date to transition their employment to UKP.
    • The majority of employed Olathe Health physicians will likely transition to community divisions, which are clinically focused. Physicians interested in research or education will be able to discuss an academic path with the Chair of the department at the appropriate time during transition and integration conversations.
  • Olathe Medical Center and Miami County Medical Center continue to have an open medical staff.

Why Now?

Meeting our patients’ needs

The healthcare landscape is changing, and Olathe Health and The University of Kansas Health System believe coming together now will best meet patients’ long-term healthcare needs.

This agreement is the result of extensive consideration and firm obligations made by The University of Kansas Health System to secure a thriving future for high-quality, seamless healthcare in Kansas City and the region.

World-class specialty care

As a world-class, nationally recognized destination for complex diagnosis and treatment, The University of Kansas Health System offers a highly specialized provider network to complement Olathe Health’s existing services. Additionally, market research shows Olathe Health’s patients and community trust The University of Kansas Health System to provide high-quality healthcare.

As one health system with a focus on quality, safety, service and people, The University of Kansas Health System will have the resources and talent to expand access to high-quality care close to home.

High quality care close to home

Olathe Health and The University of Kansas Health System have worked together most recently through Olathe Health’s agreements with The University of Kansas Health System specialty physicians for vascular surgery, plastic surgery and urology. Now, as one health system with a commitment to improving healthcare for our communities, we will enhance access to more comprehensive and integrated care.

About The University of Kansas Health System

The University of Kansas Health System is a world-class academic medical center and destination for complex care and diagnosis. It includes The University of Kansas Physicians, the region’s largest multispecialty physician group. The health system is affiliated with the University of Kansas Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Health Professions, and their leading-edge research projects. In addition to the Kansas City metro, the health system includes hospitals and clinics in Great Bend and Topeka. Services range from routine primary care to multispecialty care for complex conditions. The health system’s Kansas City hospital has received Magnet nursing designation four times in a row for the highest level of care. It has ranked every year since 2007 on U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Hospitals” lists. The health system receives no state or local appropriations, instead relying on operating revenue, bonding authority and philanthropy. The health system hosts a nationally verified pediatric and adult burn center and Level I Trauma Center, as well as a leading transplant program in liver, pancreas, kidney, heart, and blood and marrow. The cancer program is part of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, one of 53 NCI Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the United States. For more information, visit kansashealthsystem.com.

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