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UI Health Care details neurology needs and SUDEP research as board approves a 6% hospital charge‑master increase
Summary
UI Health Care leaders told Regents that neurology wait times and statewide access remain strained even as the hospital advances nationally recognized SUDEP research and expands sleep and stroke services; the Board approved a 6% FY27 charge‑master increase to support operations and capital reinvestment.
University of Iowa Health Care leaders gave the Board an operational and clinical update focused on neurology services, research into sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), and the hospital’s near‑term financial outlook.
Denise Jamieson, vice president for medical affairs, and neurology chair Dr. George Richerson described a statewide access gap: Iowa ranks low in neurologists per capita, the UI has the only in‑state neurology residency and is a primary pipeline, and patients often face long referral waits. Jamieson said UIHC provides statewide specialty care — including the only Level‑4 epilepsy center in Iowa, a comprehensive sleep program and the state’s only Joint Commission‑certified comprehensive stroke center — but noted average referral wait times remain far too long.
Dr. Richerson outlined the institution’s SUDEP research program, which combines clinical seizure monitoring, animal models and cellular studies to investigate post‑seizure respiratory arrest and possible interventions. He described findings linking respiratory failure after seizures to SUDEP risk, ongoing work to develop interventions (wearables, family CPR training and investigational drugs that stimulate breathing pathways), and research connections with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) studies.
Operational leadership reported mixed volume trends: clinic visits were up year‑over‑year while inpatient discharges and surgical case counts were below budget in some months, and case complexity and length of stay were rising. UIHC cited pressure from agency staffing costs and higher high‑cost pharmacy usage as headwinds to margin.
To shore up revenue and contractual rate setting for FY27, the Board approved a recommended 6% charge‑master increase. CFO Mark Henrichs told the Regents the increase was set after benchmarking and is consistent with contract mechanics for payer reimbursements; the hospital also highlighted an aggressive charity‑care policy to mitigate patient impacts. The Board adopted the 6% increase by roll‑call vote.
