The University of Oklahoma and OU Medicine's parent organization University Hospitals Authority and Trust signed an agreement to merge and create an academic health system in Oklahoma.
The organizations signed a letter of intent this March and the final agreement June 29. The agreement creates the state's first fully integrated academic health system, called OU Health.
Under the agreement, the organizations' hospitals and clinics will merge, and the OU College of Medicine will create a new clinic practice to deliver care within OU Health facilities.
"Today marks an extraordinary moment decades in the making for Oklahoma in our quest to become a healthier state," said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. "The healthiest states have one thing in common: an academic health system that brings together patient care, research and the training of tomorrow’s health care leaders. Before today, we had each of those pieces, and while they worked together, they operated separately with different management structures. Now, this merger unlocks unlimited potential as we bring together research-driven care and education that will make Oklahomans healthier, lead to economic prosperity and move our state forward.”
The merger will create singular leadership, operational and financial functions, driving a seamless patient experience, improving care and boosting access to the latest treatments, OU Health said.