Oklahoma State University Medical Authority

PROJECT PURPOSE

Recent capital investments have positioned OSU Medical Center to take advantage of the unique opportunity afforded by the new veteran?s hospital planned for downtown Tulsa. Through a strategic planning process the OSU Medical Authority has identified over $20 million in service line investments needed to fully support the education programs of OSU-CHS and care for Oklahoma?s veterans in eastern Oklahoma. Thirty percent of those costs will be borne by the Veterans Administration through joint faculty hiring in addition to the $250 million already allocated by the VA for the hospital construction and startup. The result will see fully developed programs in the areas of stroke care, general and specialty surgery, cardiac services, pulmonary critical care and gastroenterology among others. Now that long standing facility structural deficiencies are being addressed it is the time to modernize the patient care floors at OSUMC. The pandemic has demonstrated the need to have patient rooms that can support single occupancy in a negative pressure environment. These renovations will not only allow OSUMC to be in a better position to respond to future healthcare emergency needs of the state, they will provide a better environment for patient care and medical education.

EVIDENCE

Supporting OSUMC is tantamount to supporting the heart of Tulsa. According to the American Hospital Association, most teaching hospitals are anchor institutions in their communities, contributing significantly to the health, economic and social well-being in their community. Many teaching hospitals provide social services and interventions that are targeted to address health disparities and other needs that are unique to their community. Teaching hospital margins have been decreasing for years, as they have been challenged to balance their traditional role serving as their community?s safety net against financial pressures that threaten the breadth and depth of the training program.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

Educating tomorrow?s physicians while caring for underserved populations is the mission of a teaching hospital such as OSUMC. Recruitment of quality physicians is challenging, and upgraded facilities will bolster efforts in both recruitment and resident education. According to the American Hospital Association?s November 2020 report ?Teaching Hospitals? Impact In A Transforming Health Care Landscape,? teaching hospitals are a key component of caring for patients that often have complex medical needs or comorbidities as well as serving a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population. While the long-term effects of the pandemic on teaching hospitals are uncertain, the pandemic has been profoundly destabilizing to hospital caseloads and finances. Teaching hospitals continue to weather the financial impacts?and must prepare for continued spikes in infections and the likelihood that increases in infection rates will prolong their financial and workforce challenges. With testing, in-patient treatment, research and vaccination efforts, the OSU Medical Center has proven to be a critical state asset in combating the COVID-19 pandemic and now is positioned to make a positive impact on the health of our nation?s military heroes. In total more than half a million Oklahomans live in the area serviced by OSUMC.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

Project success will be defined as achieving the KPIs noted in the OSUMA budget and performance review, including improvement to the Medicare VBP Total Performance Score.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma