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University of Iowa’s North Liberty hospital serves tens of thousands in first six months
UIHC cites strong demand in spending up to $25 million more to add capacity
Nov. 29, 2025 5:30 am
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NORTH LIBERTY — Exceeding expectations in some patient categories — like those needing emergency care or to be admitted overnight — University of Iowa Health Care’s new orthopedics-focused hospital in North Liberty already is “becoming an anchor for the growing community” after just six months, officials said.
“UI Health Care’s North Liberty campus, which was originally designed for future growth with built-in shell space, is seeing more patients and higher acuity cases than anticipated, creating a need to expand facilities,” UIHC officials reported this week in celebrating the North Liberty campus’ half birthday.
The numbers report comes two weeks after UIHC received Board of Regents permission to spend up to $25 million more expanding and outfitting the brand-new $525.6 million, 469,060-square-foot hospital — already.
“The number of patients seen at the North Liberty campus has exceeded expectations, with a high demand for surgical services,” according to the university’s board request, noting UIHC built the hospital with “shell space designed to accommodate future expansion.
“The need to enhance operating room capacity at the North Liberty campus is consistent with what UI Health Care is seeing across campuses and reflects the growing surgical needs of Iowans.”
Projections-vs.-reality
When UIHC officials went to the State Health Facilities Council in 2021 for a “certificate of need” to build the medical portion of the new North Liberty hospital — which officially opened April 28 — they projected 11,156 ER visits in the first year, along with 8,013 outpatient surgery visits, 1,078 inpatient discharges, and 124,422 outpatient visits.
The realized 6,500 ER visits through six months of the campus being open puts it on pace for 13,000 in the first year — 17 percent above projections UIHC gave the state. Its 1,500-plus admissions halfway through the year already tops the 1,078 inpatient discharges the campus anticipated its first year.
Its 4,000-plus operating room cases so far have it on pace for the 8,013 outpatient surgery visits UIHC expected for the hospital, according to state documents. And the campus’ 55,000 orthopedic clinic visits are slightly behind pace for the 124,422 outpatient visits anticipated in year one.
"Our intent was to create a convenient, accessible, one-stop shop for all orthopedic service needs, as well as emergency care, 24-hour pharmacy services, advanced diagnostic imaging, and clinical lab services,” Amy O’Deen, chief administrative officer for the UIHC North Liberty campus, said.
The new hospital also freed up space on the main UIHC campus next to Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City — where ER wait times can span hours and overcrowded inpatient units can mean patient transfer denials.
“When we don't have a bed available, then we can't get somebody out of the emergency room or we can't accept a transfer from another hospital,” UIHC CEO Bradley Haws told regents in February — before the North Liberty campus opened.
“When a patient comes into the emergency room, we have to treat and stabilize them,” he said. “And even though there might be a sicker patient in another hospital that wants to come, because someone's with us, we have to treat that patient first.”
Hospital half birthday
In celebrating the campus’ half birthday, University of Iowa Health Care put out six-month stats:
- 1,500+ admissions
- 4,000+ operating room cases
- 15,000+ rehabilitation therapy visits
- 50,000+ radiology visits
- 6,500+ emergency room visits
- 55,000+ orthopedic clinic visits
- 32,000+ prescription fill requests
- 563 communities sent patients to North Liberty
- 26 states represented in the patients seen through six months
(Source: University of Iowa Health Care)
Patient stories
Beyond the numbers, UIHC officials boasted patient stories among the biggest successes of its North Liberty campus’ first six months.
“It warms my heart to hear so many positive comments from surgical patients with restored mobility and function,” O’Deen said.
Four-year-old Tucker Walden, of Muscatine, was the first patient to get a full-leg cast via the orthopedic injury walk-in clinic at the North Liberty hospital — after a UIHC clinic in Muscatine discovered his fracture earlier in the day.
The care and clinic coordination, according to Tucker’s mom, was offered with “gentleness, empathy, and compassion.”
UIHC North Liberty hospital sound-off
Some thoughts from those in charge and impacted by the new campus:
“I always say we treat each other and our patients like family,” Taylor Eisenberg, a nurse manager on the North Liberty inpatient unit, said. “Every patient we serve deserves to feel supported, safe, and truly cared for. We don’t just talk about compassion and connection — we live it.”
“A lot of work has gone into determining which surgical patients are best cared for in this specialty-focused hospital vs. at the university campus,” said UI Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Chair Larry Marsh. “We have learned that the majority of orthopedic surgical patients can be cared for at the North Liberty campus, with only a small number of cases needing to be sent to the university campus.”
“Recruiting, onboarding, and orienting all of the staff required to operate our new campus was a huge lift, given pervasive health care workforce shortages across our country, but we accomplished it and are now fully staffed and functioning smoothly,” North Liberty Chief Administrative Officer Amy O’Deen said.
“Our team has really embraced the strong patient volumes and have worked to ensure we meet the needs of the community. Additionally, our ED is leading the country with its patient experience scores,” Emily Ward, associate chief nursing officer of the North Liberty campus.
Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.
Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com
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