The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

Sure we need another hospital because there's such a shortage of specialty hospitals and the acute care facilities are turning away patients right and left.  Yet one of the major drivers in high health care costs.

Supply, meet Demand....
Demand, meet Supply...

I've often wondered recently if the hospitals in Tulsa's core will all survive.

Of course they will.  Just keep upping the facility charges.

Do we really need Oklahoma Surgical Hospital (mind you several of my friends are surgeon/investors in it) when there are plenty of other out-patient facilities in the area?  Of course not.  It's simply another profit center for astute doctors looking to make more $$.

I had a knee scope at the Natalie outpatient center in '07 and a shoulder scope in '10.  I was shocked at the difference in price in just three years.  Facility charge nearly doubled.  Certainly the cost of living did not double in that time.  I had a hernia surgery at OSH last December and it was almost twice again what the facility charge was in 2010.  Pretty ridiculous.

I'm not sure what the revenue split is from the Natalie and St. Francis since it's all WPB properties and whether or not the surgeons using the Natalie are partners in that or not.  Since EOOC moved to the Natalie when it opened and they scheduled a lot of surgeries there, I've assumed they are in for a cut. 

There's an over-supply in this market

Myself and many others have used the Spine&Surgery hospital at 71st & HW 75. Charge for the facility and other incidentals was $125

I'll see if I can find the original statements, it was in the thousands.  These were procedures done under a general anesthetic.

My son had his tonsils and adenoids removed at Spine&Specialty under general and it was $125. Even got a free teddy bear and backpack.

Let me know if they ever start doing joint arthroscopy, that's a deal assuming they don't have issues with MRSA or other pathogens.  ;D

Their deal is that they charge the same copay if you are in-network or out-of-network, but if you happen to be out-of-network, they just write off the remainder.

Copay is one thing, facility charge is another.  Was your co-pay on the facility charge $125 or was that the total itemized charge shown on your statement?  I don't see how they would stay in business at $125 per patient for OP surgery under anesthesia considering it generally is a three to four hour stint with many personnel involved in your visit.

Total charge was a couple grand I think, they charged a copay of $125 and since we were out of network, our insurance paid nothing. Coworker had the same experience. Talked to an ENT who works there and he said that is the deal. He said they work so efficiently that they pay the bills with just copays and what the in-network patients pay. Also, many of the doctors who use the facility also have a business relationship with the facility.

Let's get back on topic...

This is the topic.

So you are one of those enabling this bad behavior by hospitals/medical industry....supporting these extraneous, unneeded facilities....diluting the care resource distribution, and adding layers of cost.

Remember the hoopla around the "City of Faith" hospital?  Whether to let Oral build it, considering the glut of hospital beds at the time... Well, it certainly did not last, and never did fulfill the 'promises'.  I guess if you believe in a 700 foot Jesus, and propagandize it as much as was done, then real God is gonna come back and bite you in the nether regions.

I still think maybe Oral had a subliminal message for Tulsa in the configuration of those 3 buildings...