MU Health Care Expands Capital Investment Amid Reimbursement Uncertainty
MU Health Care, an academic health system based in Columbia, Mo., is proceeding with major capital projects, including a new intraoperative MRI, a children's hospital operating suite opening next spring, and cath lab and electrophysiology expansions. COO Tonya Johnson says the investments are being made despite uncertainty from proposed 340B drug pricing changes, Medicaid reductions, and site neutrality policy, which together require heightened discipline in capital and operating decisions. The system's strategy is to focus on patient demand and operational efficiency rather than policy-dependent assumptions, betting that expanding access to services patients already seek will position it well regardless of how reimbursement policy ultimately resolves. None of the three federal policy threats has reached final resolution.