Liberty Hospital Joins University of Kansas Health SystemLiberty Hospital Joins University of Kansas Health System Despite opposition from lawmakers in both Kansas and Missouri, Liberty Hospital has officially merged with the University of Kansas Health System. The merger was completed on Monday, as announced by executives in a video message. Liberty Hospital’s leadership began exploring partnerships to meet growing demand in May 2023. After evaluating over 30 potential partners, they chose the University of Kansas Health System in October. According to Raghu Adiga, CEO of Liberty Market for KU, merging with the Kansas hospital system was the best decision due to shared commitment to patient care and delivering quality services close to home. Tammy Peterman, president of KU Health’s Kansas City chapter, stated that 35% of their patients come from Missouri and that they needed to expand their care options in the Northland. Following the merger, Liberty Hospital will receive investments in its facilities to enhance its services. KU leadership plans to integrate Liberty into the health system and provide a seamless patient experience. Despite initial opposition from legislators, proponents argued that Liberty Hospital needed a larger partner to grow and avoid becoming a triage center. University of Kansas Health System President and CEO Bob Page emphasized the challenges of remaining independent in today’s healthcare environment and praised Liberty Hospital for finding a path to continue delivering high-quality care. While Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey and Kansas lawmakers raised concerns about the legality of the merger, Liberty Hospital attorneys stated that it complied with state law. In the coming months, KU Health leadership will work to learn about Liberty Hospital’s operations and integrate it into the system, ensuring a consistent and seamless patient experience.
Despite opposition from lawmakers in both Kansas and Missouri, Liberty Hospital has officially joined the University of Kansas Health System, executives announced Monday.
Health system leaders announced Monday in a short video that the merger had been completed, along with the CEO of Liberty Hospital, located in suburban Kansas City north of the Missouri River.
Liberty’s leadership began looking to partner with another health care system in May 2023 to help the hospital meet growing demand. In October, it announced it had chosen the University of Kansas.
Raghu Adiga — who was CEO of Liberty Hospital and is now CEO of Liberty Market for KU — said the hospital’s board of directors evaluated more than 30 potential partners. He said he was “more than confident” that merging with the Kansas hospital system was the right decision.
“We share a commitment to putting patients first,” Adiga said. “We prioritize our people and believe in delivering quality care close to home. To have a strong community, we need a strong health care system. We believe this relationship not only strengthens Liberty Hospital, but also the Liberty community and the entire Northland.”
Tammy Peterman, president of KU Health’s Kansas City chapter, said about 35% of the health system’s patients currently come from Missouri and KU already has clinics in the state.
“We knew that eventually we would need a way to care for more patients in Missouri and the Northland, so that care could stay close to home,” Peterman said. “…So today is a big milestone for us as well: our very first hospital in Missouri.”
Health system leaders did not answer questions from reporters after the news conference. Asked about the terms of the deal, a KU spokeswoman said in an email that health system leaders were “celebrating over the next few days” and were unavailable for comment.
The merger of KU and Liberty was met with disdain by some legislators in both Kansas and Missouri. Former Missouri Sen. Greg Razer, a Democrat from Kansas City, urged legislation earlier this year to block the dealcalled it “mind-boggling” and said the idea of a healthcare system in Kansas that owns a hospital in Missouri felt “terribly wrong.”
But proponents of the deal argued that Liberty needed a larger hospital partner to grow and invest in its facilities. A Liberty board member told lawmakers this spring that if the hospital did not merge with KU, it could be purchased by a commercial chain and stop offering some of its services, becoming “something more than a triage center .”
Bob Page, president and CEO of the University of Kansas Health System, said it is “incredibly difficult to remain a fully independent hospital in today’s health care environment” like Liberty.
“They found a new path forward to ensure they could continue to deliver high-quality care in Northland for generations,” Page said. “Being part of this healthcare system allows them to offer some of the most advanced treatments and expertise in the entire country.”
Razer’s legislation emerged from a Senate committee but never received a vote.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey also opposed the merger, writing in a letter to Senate leadership in January that the deal was illegal unless the Missouri General Assembly approved it. However, an attorney for Liberty said the deal was structured to comply with state law.
Ty Masterson, chairman of the Kansas Senate and Republican from Andover, expressed frustration with the merger at a committee meeting in November. He said struggling Kansas hospitals could have benefited from a partnership with KU.
And Kansas Sen. J.R. Claeys, a Republican from Salina, has filed legislation that would require KU to obtain approval from the Kansas Legislature before entering into any deal that involves acquiring, building, repairing or improving real estate outside of Kansas. The bill never received a hearing.
In the meantime, the systems were working toward a definitive agreement that was expected to include investments in Liberty’s facilities.
Peterman said KU leadership will spend the coming months learning more about how Liberty works and how it can best be integrated into the health care system.
“This includes everything from inpatient and outpatient care to supply chain and branding,” she said. “Ultimately, we want to ensure that we are one health system that provides a seamless and consistent patient experience.”
