INDIANAPOLIS — The new IU Health downtown hospital is currently under construction.
The 16-story building will combine University and Methodist hospitals.
“For the most part, the exterior of the building is for the majority buttoned up," VP of Design and Construction Jim Mladucky said.
The new hospital will have a flexible design to accommodate 864 licensed beds.
All rooms will be private to support comfort, safety and recovery.
The rooms will include dedicated spaces for clinicians/caregivers, the patient and family members/support.
The total count is comparable to the current licensed beds at Methodist and University.
“In our current state, we do still have some double occupancy rooms. We’re really excited to move into 864 private rooms," Chief Nursing Officer Amanda Noth-Matchett said. “This room, the layout is more efficient and effective.”
IU Health says the hospital campus is the largest healthcare construction project in the U.S., encompassing roughly 2.5 million square feet.
The total cost of the hospital is $2.3 billion.
“This is an investment that is 75-100 years. Methodist and University Hospital have been here for that amount of time. This is the legacy we’re going to be leaving behind," Mladucky said.
Mladucky says construction is about 45 percent complete.
The roof of the new hospital should be in place by the end of the year.
Upon completion, it's expected to save $50 million annually in operating costs.
“Being able to capitalize on the efficiency we’ll get from when we combine the two buildings is really important. There’s the fundamental issue that if you can run one building instead of two, it’s going to be financially more feasible to do, but it also allows for the care delivery to be seamless," Chief Operating Officer Liz Linden said.
As for the future of University and Methodist, Linden says it's unclear right now.
“University sits on the land that belongs to the university, so we’ll be turning that back over to them. What they’re going to do with it, we don’t know. As far as Methodist, we’re in conversations with what’s going to happen with that hospital," she said.
The new hospital is expected to open at the end of 2027.
