Construction on the $1 billion first phase of the AI-native University of Texas Dell Medical Center in Austin \u2014 which will feature a hospital operated by Houston\u2019s UT MD Anderson Cancer Center \u2014 is set to start this fall.<\/p>\n
The UT System Board of Regents approved funding for first-phase construction on August 12.<\/p>\n
The medical center \u2014 now expected to cost $5 billion<\/a>, up from the initial $2.9 billion estimate \u2014 will span about 2.5 million square feet. It will include 300 to 500 patient beds, outpatient facilities, an emergency department and specialized care for cancer patients.<\/p>\n MD Anderson will bring its world-renowned oncology programs to the center\u2019s integrated health care model, Dr. Claudia Lucchinetti, senior vice president of medical affairs at UT Austin and dean of the university\u2019s Dell Medical School, tells Health Leaders<\/a>.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Austin tech billionaire Michael Dell and his wife, Susan, pledged $750 million<\/a> for development of the medical center. The medical center, scheduled for completion in December 2030, will be a cornerstone of the new 300-acre UT Dell Campus for Advanced Research, a medical education and research hub.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough this new campus and medical center, Texas will lead America in health care innovation,\u201d Gov. Greg Abbott said when the research campus was announced in April<\/a>. \u201cThe next generation of medical breakthroughs will take place in Central Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n The medical center will fold AI tools and other technology into the infrastructure, rather than having them added after it\u2019s built. Among other capabilities, the technology will monitor real-time medical data, automate data entry, and help health care professionals quickly predict and identify risks to patients, according to Health Leaders.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not just building a new medical center,\u201d Lucchinetti says. \u201cWe are building a fundamentally new model of health. It\u2019s not just a new facility. It\u2019s not just a new collaboration. It is a convergence of capabilities that rarely come together at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n