Important Information for OU Health Patients

Dear Valued OU Health Patient,

We have some exciting news to share. Oklahoma healthcare took a major step forward with the historic agreement signed between the University of Oklahoma and University Hospitals Authority and Trust to merge their clinics and hospitals into Oklahoma’s first comprehensive academic health system – OU Health.

We launched the new brand name – OU Health –last fall. The signing of the merger agreement officially marks OU Health as its own entity.

This is only the beginning of our growth and the innovations that will be developed to address the healthcare needs of Oklahomans

OU Health is comprised of unique and distinct entities, including the following:

• OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center
• OU Health University of Oklahoma Medical Center
• Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health
• OU Health Edmond Medical Center
• OU Health Physicians

The merger means ONE leadership team, ONE operational organization and ONE financial function between our hospitals and clinics. For you, that means we will be able to offer:

• A seamless patient experience in our hospitals, centers and clinics
• Improved healthcare outcomes
• More access to the latest treatments found nowhere else in the state

While this is a long-awaited achievement for our organization, growth and changes have been underway, even during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new eight-story North Tower of OU Health University of Oklahoma Medical Center opened in fall 2020, bringing 144 additional beds, 32 new operating rooms and advanced technologies. There is also an ongoing modernization of our information technology infrastructure and the implementation of Epic, our new electronic health record.

The healthiest states have one thing in common: an academic health system that brings together patient care, research and the training of tomorrow’s healthcare leaders. Before our merger, we had each of those pieces, and while they worked together, they operated separately with different management structures.

This merger unlocks unlimited potential as we bring together research-driven care and education that will help make Oklahomans healthier, lead to economic prosperity and move our state forward.

Best,

Harold Burkhart, MD
Acting Chief Executive Officer, OU Health

Ian Dunn, MD
Interim, Chief Physician Executive and President, OU Health Partners