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University of Toledo hopes to improve healthcare operation efficiency with umbrella committee

UToledo Health will help organize clinic functions more, but will not affect the College of Medicine and Life Sciences or jobs, UT President Gregory Postel said.

TOLEDO, Ohio — The University of Toledo plans to bring multiple university healthcare entities under one roof with a new committee -- UToledo Health.

Beginning Feb. 28, it will provide oversight for healthcare operations, which accounts for half of UT's revenue, and clinical activity in hopes to increase efficiency for health, research and education, UT President Gregory Postel.

"The medical school, the physician practice and the hospital have many goals that overlap," Postel said. "But sometimes their meetings are separate and their strategies are not perfectly aligned."

He said the university worked on the plan for the past year in order to create the committee they helped determine through looking at OSU's Medical Center and Michigan Health.

The umbrella-like committee will consist of 15 members of UT, physicians and the public and replace the existing Clinical Affairs Committee. But, Postel said it will not change employment or union relationships or their ProMedica partnership with the College of Health and Life Sciences.

"The leaders can have an easier time working together, planning their strategies and budgets, thinking about the future and everyone can be well aware of what the other party is doing," he said.

Postel said UT has also made recent investments in electronic records systems, new MRI machines and upgrades to hospital labs.

Former Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner publicly fought for the hospital to stay open in 2019 and said he is optimistic for future developments.

Next steps for UToledo Health are to populate the health board and practice functions, Postel said.

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