In 1993, the Iowa Methodist Medical Center, Blank Children's Hospital and Iowa Lutheran Hospital merged to form Iowa Health System. In 2013, the hospital system was renamed UnityPoint Health. Based in West Des Moines, Iowa, UnityPoint Health has become a key healthcare provider in nine major metropolitan areas in the Midwest.
Here are 10 things to know about UnityPoint Health.
1. Bill Leaver has served as president and CEO of UnityPoint Health since 2008. He previously served as president and CEO of UnityPoint Health/Trinity in Rock Island, Ill., for nearly seven years. Before joining UnityPoint Health, Mr. Leaver held senior executive positions at St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit.
2. Covering nine geographic regions, UnityPoint Health facilities are located throughout Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. With 17 acute-care hospitals, 15 community network hospitals and more than 280 clinic locations, it is among the 15 largest nonprofit health systems in the country and is the fourth largest nondenominational health system.
3. As of January 2014, 3,707-bed UnityPoint Health reported 154,717 annual admissions, 19.876 births and 4.5 million yearly patient visits. UnityPoint Health has more than 28,000 employees. Operating increased 34.5 percent between fiscal years 2012 and 2013, jumping from $61.4 million to $82.6 million. UnityPoint Health's total revenue for FY 2013 was $2.8 billion.
4. UnityPoint Health describes its professional culture as "physician-led," meaning the physicians are doing more than just focusing on direct patient care. Instead, physicians play key roles in decision-making throughout the care continuum by leading a care team. To help develop physicians into leaders, UnityPoint Health established the Physician Leadership Academy in fall 2011. Physicians develop leadership skills in the academic program and then participate in initiatives throughout the health system to implement those learned skills.
5. UnityPoint Health is involved in both the Medicare accountable care models. UnityPoint Health Partners is an accountable care organization created between the health system and approximately 2,500 independent physicians. UnityPoint Health-Fort Dodge was chosen to participate in the Pioneer model as Trinity Pioneer ACO. The health system also has ACO arrangements with payers Wellmark and UnitedHealthcare.
6. UnityPoint is a leader in connected health technologies. The health system created and launched HealthNet connect, a group of healthcare institutions connected on a private, secure fiber optic network that allows for instant provider-to-provider communication. The Federal Communications Commission provided the initial $7.8 million in funding for HNc as part of the Rural Healthcare Pilot Program, which provides funding for broadband networks to bring telehealth services to rural areas of the country. The fiber optic network runs a 3,200-mile stretch from Denver to Chicago.
UnityPoint Health also partnered with Allscripts to launch ePrescribe Iowa, a statewide electronic prescribing software. ePrescribe Iowa is a free Web-based solutions to Iowa physicians that links up to HNc.
For the past three years, UnityPoint Health has been recognized as a "Most Wired Health System" by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine.
7. Along with "Most Wired," UnityPoint Health has earned a number of other accolades. U.S. News & World Report ranked the health system's flagship Iowa Methodist Medical Center as the No. 4 hospital in Iowa for 2014-15, as well as recognized the hospital for high performance in cancer, gynecology, nephrology and urology. Iowa Methodist Medical Center is also designated as a Blue Distinction Center Plus in cardiac care.
The John Stoddard Cancer Center is accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers by the American College of Surgeons and was one of 74 cancer centers nationwide to receive the 2013 Outstanding Achievement Award from the Commission on Cancer. The Center is also designated a Blue Distinction Center for Complex and Rare Cancers.
8. UnityPoint Health expands its presence in the Midwest through a number of affiliations. Most recently, UnityPoint Health – Waterloo signed a letter of intent with Black Hawk – Grundy Mental Health Center. One of the health system's larger affiliations was finalized in January when UnityHealth Point announced a strategic partnership in its affiliation with Madison, Wis.-based Meriter Health Services. Overall, the health system has 30 affiliated clinic and home care locations.
9. UnityPoint Health's Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines was the only civilian hospital built during World War II. The original Blank Children's Hospital opened in 1944. In the 1950s, Iowa had the highest polio rate among children in the United States. Of the 570 treated at Blank Children's in 1950 for polio, 560 survived. In 1956, surgeons at Blank Children's Hospital performed the first pediatric open heart surgery outside Mayo Clinic.
10. Demonstrative of UnityPoint's commitment to compliance, the health system's board of directors adopted the UnityPoint Health Corporate Compliance Program in 1997 with the focus of assuring adherence to laws, regulations and standards surrounding delivering high-quality healthcare. The board's Audit and Compliance Committee oversees the program. So far, the Compliance Committee — comprised of health system and affiliate employees — has developed more than 130 policies applicable throughout the health system geared toward three main goals: Enhance the ability of the board and management to provide guidance and direction to employees, ensure compliance with state and federal laws and support the health system and its affiliates in achieving their missions.
More articles on UnityPoint Health:
UnityPoint Health Partners ACO, UnitedHealthcare collaborate to improve care in Iowa
Wellmark, Hy-Vee, UnityPoint Collaborate on Health Plans
UnityPoint Health Names Head of New Insurance Division