AllianceHealth Blackwell seeks changes in Blackwell hospital

Based on community use over the past five years, AllianceHealth Blackwell has asked The Blackwell Hospital Trust Authority to amend its lease to convert AllianceHealth Blackwell to an outpatient facility with an emergency department.

The request was announced in a press release issued by Eric Lybarger, director of Marketing and Physician Recruitment for AllianceHealth Ponca City and AllianceHealth Blackwell.

" We hope to reach a new agreement with the Blackwell Hospital Trust Authority to continue serving our family, friends and neighbors," Lybarger’s release said.

"Patients at our hospital receive quality care and their satisfaction is high, but the number of inpatients we are admitting has declined by 43 percent since 2011, to a little more than one patient per day. More people are coming to our ER each year, but very few of these individuals are admitted.

"Many of the patients who need inpatient care require more advanced services so they are stabilized and transferred to a larger hospital such as AllianceHealth Ponca City," he said in the release.

Medical advances now make it possible for more services to be provided on an outpatient basis, Lybarger said.

"This trend is visible here in Blackwell as the number of patients receiving outpatient services such as surgery and diagnostic imaging has steadily grown to more than 24,000 each year," the release said.

"Applying our resources to provide the most needed and used services is the best way to maintain a sustainable healthcare system for the Blackwell community. We hope to reach a new agreement with the Blackwell Hospital Trust Authority to continue caring for our patients and will provide updates as we know more," the release said.