About UK HealthCare
UK HealthCare – The Power of Advanced Medicine
UK HealthCare is the hospitals and clinics of the University of Kentucky. But it is so much more. It is 9,000 people – physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals – all dedicated to providing the most advanced, most effective care available, not just in Kentucky but anywhere.
It is physicians and other medical professionals trained in the most sophisticated, most up-to-the-minute medical techniques so that no Kentuckian, no matter how sick they are or how rare their illness, needs to go far from home for the treatment they need.
It is a Level 1 trauma center, ready every minute of every day to treat even the most serious injuries when they come through the door. And a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, caring for the tiniest and sickest newborns – and giving them a chance not just to live, but to live normal, productive, happy lives.
It is nurses providing care for every patient, every time that’s so good it has received Magnet status, the highest recognition available in the nursing field.
It is educators in our six health professions colleges teaching the next generations of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, spreading the highest standards of care like ripples to the future.
It is researchers working to discover treatments and cures not yet even imagined.
And it is a network of partnerships and outreach locations throughout the state, so that world-class care is always close to home.
UK HealthCare is the power of advanced medicine.
And all of that power is here for you.
Solving the Unsolvable
Research is the key to the future of medicine. At UK HealthCare, our researchers are working every day to find answers where there were no answers before.
As an academic research institution, our physicians as well as pharmacists, nurses and other healthcare professionals are continuously pursuing the next generation of cures, treatments, protocols and policies. Their discoveries have the potential to change what’s medically possible within our lifetimes. At the same time, our educators and thought leaders in health policy and delivery are transforming the healthcare landscape in Kentucky to provide the right care in the right place for everyone in the state.
The UK Markey Cancer Center has earned designation by the National Cancer Institute – the most prestigious designation possible. And because of that, we have access to new treatments not yet generally available, and to clinical trials most other hospitals do not.
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Mission and Vision
Mission
UK HealthCare is committed to the pillars of academic health care—research, education and clinical care. Dedicated to the health of the people of Kentucky, we will provide the most advanced patient care and serve as an information resource. We will strengthen local health care and improve the delivery system by partnering with community hospitals and physicians. We will support the organization’s education and research needs by offering cutting edge services on par with the nation’s best providers.
Vision
One community committed to creating a healthier Kentucky.
Values
UK HealthCare, the College of Medicine and Eastern State Hospital have implemented five values to help guide actions, behaviors and decision-making to foster a cohesive work culture focused on patient-centered care.
The DIReCT values are:
Diversity: We foster a people-centered environment that is inclusive of all.
Innovation: We embrace continual learning and improvement to drive positive change.
Respect: We value our patients and families; our community, our co-workers, ourselves and the resources entrusted to us.
Compassion: We express empathy for the needs, thoughts and feelings of those we serve and with whom we work.
Teamwork: We cultivate and maintain meaningful relationships to create positive outcomes.
Read UK HealthCare annual reports.
Read UK HealthCare news.
Read our quality data.
Growth and Performance
UK HealthCare has grown dramatically in recent years. Between 2004 and 2015, hospital discharges increased 88 percent while the complexity of the cases we treated moved us from the 25th percentile of academic medical centers, to the 75th.
At the same time, overall improvements in the quality of care and patient safety led to UK HealthCare receiving the UHC Rising Star Award in 2013 and becoming a national leader in patient safety in 2015.
UK HealthCare’s University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital remains the No. 1 hospital in Kentucky and the Bluegrass Region, according to U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals Rankings.
Leadership
UK HealthCare's leadership, physician faculty and dedicated staff are committed to being the leading provider of advanced specialty medical care in the region and beyond. Read about our leadership »
Education
Our health science colleges:
Locations
If you need urgent care call 911 or go to your nearest emergency department.
UK HealthCare includes all UK hospitals and clinics and has over 80 specialized clinics, 140+ outreach programs, and a team of 9,000 physicians, nurses, pharmacists and health care workers – all dedicated to patient health.
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Medication Savings Reinvested in Our State: UK HealthCare’s 340B Program
340B Drug Pricing Program legislation was enacted by Congress in 1992 to help safety-net hospitals, including UK HealthCare, provide care to more eligible patients and expand services. 340B-eligible hospitals providing care to underserved patient populations receive discounts on covered outpatient drugs from manufacturers participating in the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program.
UK HealthCare is eligible to participate in the 340B Program as a disproportionate share hospital that serves low-income patients and receives payments from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services to cover the costs of providing care to uninsured patients. In 2023, UK HealthCare’s disproportionate share percentage was 32.69%, well-above the minimum threshold of 11.75% required for 340B Program participation. 340B-eligible hospitals, including UK HealthCare, provide 88% of all hospital care to Medicaid patients in Kentucky.
UK HealthCare also serves our patients through multiple federal 340B grantee sites, including a Ryan White Program and Sexual Wellness Program at the Bluegrass Care Clinic, a Hemophilia Treatment Center and Title X clinic which are both part of the Kentucky Children’s Hospital, and a Federally Qualified Health Center located in Hazard and Hindman, KY.
UK HealthCare is committed to increasing patient access and expanding services.
Our organization reinvests savings from the 340B Program into our patients and community by:
Improving Access to Care
- Providing patient-centered care via hospitals, clinics, and outreach locations throughout the commonwealth.
- For a comprehensive list of locations, please visit: https://ukhealthcare.uky.edu/hospitals-clinics
- For a comprehensive list of hospital-based clinics and departments, please visit: https://ukhealthcare.uky.edu/about/hospital-based-clinics-and-departments
- Expanding specialized care, especially in underserved areas.
- Bringing mobile units into communities that have no local primary care provider or pharmacy.
- Developing multidisciplinary clinics to treat substance use and mental health disorders.
- Approving capital funding for UK HealthCare acute and ambulatory projects that expand access.
Improving Access to Medication
- Providing free or substantially discounted prescriptions to low-income, uninsured, and underserved patients.
- Expanding the number of UK retail pharmacy locations and operating hours.
- For a comprehensive list of locations, please visit: https://ukhealthcare.uky.edu/pharmacy-services
- Providing UK Specialty Pharmacy services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to support patient management programs and access to limited distribution drugs.
- Offering free mail order delivery services from UK retail pharmacy locations for nearly all medications.
- Offering free medication delivery (Meds to Beds Program) for patients of Chandler Hospital, Kentucky Children’s, Markey Cancer Center, Good Samaritan Hospital, and several infusion locations.
- Offering free maintenance medication delivery to patients during Polk-Dalton clinic visits (Meds to Clinics Program) to eliminate transportation barriers and utilize financial resources when needed.
- Ensuring availability of cutting-edge therapies that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive.
- Establishing programs addressing infectious diseases, such as hepatitis C, that disproportionately affect Appalachia.
Impact of Cuts to 340B Savings
As reimbursement has declined in recent years, UK HealthCare has chosen not to scale back services. Without 340B savings, our organization would face challenges ensuring access and advancing care for all patients. Numerous manufacturers have stopped providing 340B discounts to community and specialty pharmacies that contract with 340B-eligible hospitals. Such violations of the 340B statute negatively impact UK HealthCare’s savings and ability to fund patient care programs throughout the commonwealth.