Tulsa hospital’s fate debated

A mix of public and private funds might be what it takes to keep the Oklahoma State Medical Center in Tulsa afloat, officials said.

But finding that right mix seems to be a challenge for state leaders.

The future of the OSU Medical Center and its residency program for OSU’s osteopathy program has been widely debated this past week.

Oklahoma State University has a one-year agreement with Hillcrest Healthcare Systems, a division of Ardent Health Services, to operate the hospital. Hospital officials say the facility would function best as a publicly owned hospital. More than half of the patients who seek treatment there don’t have private health insurance and can’t pay for their medical care.

In 2007, the hospital treated 50,000 people. About 44,000 people began their medical treatment with a visit to the emergency room at OSU Medical Center, said Robert Langland, chief financial officer for Hillcrest Healthcare Systems.

A coalition in Tulsa has said the hospital serves a vital role in caring for those people who don’t have insurance. Closing the hospital would take away much-needed bed space and crowd the remaining Tulsa hospitals.

Officials with Hillcrest have offered to donate the hospital facility to a public trust or the state. So far there are no takers.

State Treasurer Scott Meacham said state funds could be available to help offset the cost of caring for people without insurance, but he has questioned what the Tulsa community is doing to help.

"I do think there is a way to get them some money,” Meacham said. "It’s going to be difficult to get the amount of money that they’re asking for. It ought to be a shared situation. We’re getting letters from the mayor and the city council ... but nobody’s offering to actually put any money up to help the situation.”

Earlier this week, state officials met with St. John Medical Center to discuss an agreement that would allow St. John to take over operation of the OSU Medical Center. Plans of that agreement have not been released, but House Speaker Rep. Chris Benge, R-Tulsa, called the meetings "constructive.”

Funding disparities?

Sen. Tom Adelson, D-Tulsa, has pointed out that OU Medical Center gets the lion’s share of Dispproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments, a combination of state and federal funds meant to offset the cost of caring for people who can’t pay for treatment. OU Medical Center in 2007 received $26.5 million, according to figures from the Oklahoma Health Care Authority.

Meacham and other state leaders have argued OU Medical Center, which is state-owned and operated by a private company, serves people in all 77 counties. The hospital treats nearly eight times as many patients as its Tulsa counterpart. OU Medical Center is home to specialty doctors and the state’s only level 1 trauma center, a hospital that can handle the most critical cases at all times.

Adelson said he’d like to see similar investment in Tulsa’s hospital.

Contributing: Michael McNutt, Capitol Bureau

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