Construction begins on $270M Texas Health, UT Southwestern campus

Ground has been broken on a $270 million medical campus in Frisco, Texas, that will be jointly operated by Texas Health Resources and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

The project, first confirmed in June when UT Southwestern joined the existing plans from Texas Health plans, which had bought the land in 2007. The 20-acre campus will include a 325,000-square-foot, 80-bed hospital run by Texas Health. UT Southwestern will run the 120,000-square-foot multispecialty clinic, which will house an extension of its neurology, spine surgery, and concussion rehabilitation services, as well as a comprehensive cancer center and pediatric specialties like ophthalmology, otolaryngology, gastroenterology and dermatology.

“Texas Health and UT Southwestern will bring a unique health care campus to the people of Frisco and surrounding areas,” Texas Health Resources CEO Barclay Berdan said in a press release. “Many attributes make this campus unlike any other, including the depth of medical expertise, elements that promote health, restoration and well-being as well as every detail designed with the consumer and patient in mind.”

The hospital is being designed with future expansion in mind, with Texas Health saying it could expand to 140 beds as the local population grows. For now, it’s set to offer a 24/7 emergency department, surgical services, women’s services and a neonatal intensive care unit.

The press release noted this won’t be the first collaboration between the two providers. UT Southwestern faculty made up much of the physician staff at Texas Health Dallas when it opened in 1966. In 1991, the two jointly created the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine in Dallas.

The Frisco campus is scheduled to open in late 2019.

""
John Gregory, Senior Writer

John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.

Around the web

The tirzepatide shortage that first began in 2022 has been resolved. Drug companies distributing compounded versions of the popular drug now have two to three more months to distribute their remaining supply.

The 24 members of the House Task Force on AI—12 reps from each party—have posted a 253-page report detailing their bipartisan vision for encouraging innovation while minimizing risks. 

Merck sent Hansoh Pharma, a Chinese biopharmaceutical company, an upfront payment of $112 million to license a new investigational GLP-1 receptor agonist. There could be many more payments to come if certain milestones are met.