North Liberty campus preview: Orthopedics and rehabilitation
New medical facility to offer full spectrum of musculoskeletal care.
When the new University the Iowa Health Care medical campus in North Liberty opens in the second quarter of 2025, it will serve as the new home for the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation—providing a full range of musculoskeletal care in one location for a seamless patient experience.
The community and patients will also have access to an emergency department, a retail and 24-hour drive-thru pharmacy, clinical lab and pathology services, durable medical equipment (DME), a cafeteria, and other building amenities.
Services at North Liberty campus will include:
- Full-service emergency department
- 24-hour drive-thru pharmacy
- Walk-in care for orthopedic injuries with weekday, evening, and Saturday morning hours
- Advanced diagnostic imaging
- Orthopedic surgery across the full range of musculoskeletal subspecialties, including spine, trauma, joints, sports medicine, hand, elbow/shoulder, foot/ankle, pediatrics, bone health, and oncology as well as nonsurgical procedures such as spine injections
- Inpatient, short-stay recovery, and outpatient care
- Sports medicine, physical therapy, and rehabilitation services with indoor and outdoor therapy/rehab spaces
“This new campus will be a real game-changer for orthopedic patients, with convenient parking and access to services and treatments on site, plus collaboration and connection with the university campus for any services or care needs not available at the North Liberty location,” says J. Lawrence Marsh, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation. “For example, with an on-site anesthesia clinic, we’ll have the ability to offer same-day preoperative care for some patients. Outpatient surgery and outpatient follow-up care after discharge also will be done on site. And we will be able to provide patients with pharmacy services and outpatient physical therapy right in the convenience of the building before heading home, should they choose us for those services.”
Expanding access at North Liberty and university campuses
The North Liberty campus, which features a three-level hospital and five-level medical office building, will provide greater access and convenience for patients needing emergency treatment and orthopedic care and services.
It also will create space and opportunities to expand access to complex care at UI Health Care’s university campus, notes Denise Jamieson, MD, MPH, UI vice president for medical affairs and the Tyrone D. Artz Dean of the Carver College of Medicine, who oversees UI Health Care’s overall strategic and operational direction.
“Complex care involves specialized care teams across multiple medical specialties. It’s a level of coordination and expertise—and the right equipment, technology, and space—not available at every hospital,” Jamieson says. “The opening of the North Liberty campus will mean greater access and convenience for patients. It will also allow us to increase our capacity on the university campus to accept patients with complex and critical care needs being transferred from hospitals across Iowa.”
A patient-centered design
The North Liberty location is designed to optimize the experience for patients:
- Surface parking is immediately adjacent to the building; valet parking also will be available.
- Wayfinding within the building is intuitive.
- All inpatient rooms are private, with ample space for family members. Inpatients will have access to on-demand room service, bedside entertainment, and other amenities.
- The campus has an onstage/offstage configuration so that patients are separated from staff workspaces and paths of travel.
- A dedicated discharge exit will allow patients to depart the hospital privately and conveniently.
In addition to providing a highly accessible, one-stop experience, patient flow within the building supports a seamless experience. For example, diagnostic imaging is integrated into each clinic floor. After check-in, patients needing imaging will be able to get an X-ray or other scan and then proceed directly to their exam room.
The North Liberty campus will also have an anesthesia clinic designed to streamline preoperative care for some patients. The location also features the latest diagnostic imaging equipment and state-of-the art technology, including surgical robotics.
