Iowa City-based University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics wants to engage consultants to help the system assess the "fair market valuation" of a "wide range of health care settings and assets," according to a May 17 The Gazette report.
The 866-bed system, which has branched out before in terms of possible merger and acquisition activity, would be able with such help to possibly acquire or merge with another health system, according to the article.
UIHC, which is down to two candidates for a new leader, is currently considering several major new capital projects to address capacity constraints in the long term, including a $621 million, 842,000-square-foot patient tower. One of those candidates, Mark Rosenblatt, MD, PhD, said the future identity of the health system should be a combination of capital projects and partnerships.
UIHC failed in its attempt to buy the Mercy Iowa City hospital in 2021 for $605 million.