University of Iowa proposes $12M radiology department renovation
The University of Iowa is proposing putting millions of dollars toward upgrades aimed at expanding access to its radiology services.
UI Health Care is working on multiple projects that will cost around $28 million in total, but the most sweeping commitment is to its radiology department at the downtown Iowa City facility. The organization’s campus has been getting upgrades for the last two years, but this most recent project is set to modernize and expand the department’s operations.
Leaders at UI indicate that the radiology department’s computed tomography and nuclear medicine equipment is “at the end of its lifespan” and must be replaced. A significant portion of the money will go toward replacing scanners, along with adding two additional CT systems and a cardiac camera.
“This is Phase 1 of a multiphase effort to update the radiology space and equipment at the downtown campus to improve throughput, access and quality of care provided,” a board request to renovate the UIHC Medical Center Downtown states. Previously, this space was the Mercy Iowa City hospital prior to being acquired by UI in a 2024 bankruptcy auction.
These improvements are aimed at increasing patient throughput while also expanding access to critical imaging services. The university, which employs around 32 radiologists according to its website, estimates nearly 400,000 imaging exams are completed throughout its 769-bed facility.
The university also is proposing putting an additional $11 million toward renovations of a research building at its college of medicine and $5 million to centralize sleep labs in Coralville, Iowa. Proposals for each of these projects will be presented later this week during Iowa Board of Regents meeting. If approved, construction on the radiology department’s renovations would begin this spring and wrap up some time in 2028.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.