University of Michigan Health opens D. Dan and Betty Kahn Health Care Pavilion for patient care

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan Medicine’s newest hospital, the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Health Care Pavilion, welcomed its first patients on Sunday, Nov. 23, after a decade of planning and hard work.

Cheers erupted just after 8 a.m. as a specialized clinical team escorted the very first patient through a tunnel that connects the facility to the Frankel Cardiovascular Center.  

A group of health system leaders and team members were stationed at the other end, ready to greet the first patient. 

Organizational leaders staffed an activation command center throughout the day to immediately respond to and resolve issues throughout the patient move. 

By the end of the day, 186 adult patients had been transferred from University Hospital and the Frankel CVC, in a carefully planned move that involved hundreds of staff and volunteers.

“What happened here today is remarkable,” said David Miller, M.D., M.P.H., CEO of Michigan Medicine and executive vice president of medical affairs for U-M.

“I’m deeply proud and grateful to be part of the team here for the work we did on behalf of our patients and in support of each other. This is a great moment, a legendary day for the University of Michigan and Michigan Medicine.” 

Miller and Julie Ishak, M.S.N., R.N., NP-BC, chief nurse executive, visited patients in their new rooms, presenting them with special keepsake blankets to commemorate their status as the first patients to receive care in the pavilion. 

Karen Amman, M.H.A., B.S.N., R.N., operations project director for the pavilion, said opening day was a big success. 

“The patient move was very smooth,” she said. “Everyone worked so well together, from the capacity management team who helped coordinate the move order, to the critical care Specialized Workforce for Acute Transport team who moved the patients, to patient transport, security and entrance services, respiratory therapy, social work, Health Information Technology Services, nursing informatics, facilities, all of the teams on the inpatient units, and the many volunteers who helped throughout our facilities.”  

While the patients moved, their loved ones waited in a hospitality center set up for the occasion in the main lobby of the pavilion. 

“The whole thing was like a well-oiled machine,” said Amman. “It feels so good to finally be in this building we’ve been planning for so long.”   

While Sunday marked the first day of caring for patients in the pavilion, more milestones are on the horizon. 

In the coming weeks, the pavilion’s operating rooms are scheduled to open, and the new Zina Pitcher parking structure will also open nearby. It’s named for the U-M Regent who paved the way for the founding of the Medical School in 1850; the pavilion stands at the corner of Ann Street and Zina Pitcher Place.

The pavilion is a 12-story, 690,000 square foot, state-of-the-art hospital. It has 264 private inpatient rooms, 20 operating rooms and three interventional radiology suites.

It features high-level specialty care services for neurology, neurosurgery, otolaryngology, oral maxillofacial surgery, spine, cardiovascular medicine, cardiac surgery, vascular surgery and thoracic surgery patients.

In early 2026, the pavilion’s MR/OR suite will be available to provide care teams with precise real-time images during surgery. 

“Hundreds of team members and patients shared ideas, experience and expertise to create a vision for all that this innovative new hospital could be,” said Linda Larin, M.B.A., chief operating officer for the Adult Hospitals. 

Michigan Medicine leaders prioritized environmental sustainability when designing the pavilion, including use of construction materials, water- and energy-efficient infrastructure and other key factors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the health care carbon footprint. 

It is on track to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum Green Building Certification, the highest possible rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. 

In addition to the tunnel connector, the pavilion’s street-level entrance lobby is connected to the Cardiovascular Center’s lobby; both are on floor 3 because both facilities are built into a hillside, with several levels below the street.

Architectural design was by HOK and construction was managed by Barton Malow. 

Pavilion home page: https://michmed.org/nVzkJ