Ascension St. John Nowata Converts to Rural Emergency Hospital

Ascension St. John Nowata Converts to Rural Emergency Hospital, Ending Inpatient Care

Ascension St. John Nowata is officially operating under a new federal designation that keeps its emergency department open around the clock but eliminates inpatient and swing-bed services at the rural Oklahoma hospital.

The Ascension St. John Nowata Rural Emergency Hospital transition took effect September 2 following approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The hospital will continue providing 24/7 emergency care, radiology, laboratory and other outpatient services, while patients requiring hospitalization will be stabilized and transferred to another facility.

The change has generated concern among some Nowata residents who say traveling to Bartlesville, Owasso or Tulsa for inpatient care could create significant transportation and financial burdens for rural families.

Ascension St. John Nowata Rural Emergency Hospital Keeps Emergency Care Local

The federal Rural Emergency Hospital, or REH, designation was created to help qualifying rural hospitals remain financially viable while maintaining emergency and outpatient services in communities that might otherwise lose their hospitals entirely.

Under federal rules, an REH must provide 24-hour emergency services but generally cannot provide acute inpatient care.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services provides details about the designation and its requirements through its Rural Emergency Hospital program.

Ascension says the Nowata hospital will remain staffed around the clock for emergency care and expects the conversion to have minimal impact on employees, with no layoffs planned as part of the transition.

Radiology and laboratory staffing are also expected to remain unchanged.

Patients requiring specialized or acute inpatient treatment will receive initial care in Nowata before being transferred to another hospital within the broader health care network.

Nowata Residents Concerned About Loss of Swing-Bed Services

Much of the community opposition has focused on the loss of swing beds, which can allow certain rural hospitals to provide extended skilled nursing or rehabilitation care for patients who no longer require acute hospitalization but are not ready to return home.

Residents say having that care available locally has allowed families to remain close to relatives recovering from serious illnesses, injuries or medical procedures.

The Save Our Hospital Committee collected about 1,200 petition signatures while trying to preserve inpatient and swing-bed services and contacted state and federal lawmakers about the proposed conversion.

Committee member Kelly Parsons said transportation remains one of the community's biggest concerns. For families with limited financial resources, repeated trips from Nowata to hospitals in surrounding communities could mean additional costs for fuel, meals and time away from work.

The federal government provides additional information about rural hospital programs and the challenges facing health care facilities outside metropolitan areas through the Health Resources and Services Administration Rural Health program.

For residents who previously relied on local swing-bed care, the issue extends beyond emergency access. They argue that keeping a hospital open does not replace the ability to have a loved one recover close to home.

Community Group Pushes for Changes to Rural Emergency Hospital Rules

Although the conversion is now complete, the Save Our Hospital Committee says its effort to restore inpatient and swing-bed services is continuing.

The group is supporting potential federal changes sometimes referred to as REH 2.0, which advocates say could give Rural Emergency Hospitals greater flexibility to provide certain post-acute or swing-bed services.

Under the current federal model, hospitals converting to REH status receive enhanced Medicare reimbursement and a monthly facility payment in exchange for focusing primarily on emergency and outpatient care rather than traditional inpatient hospitalization.

More information about Medicare's rural hospital classifications and payment programs is available through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rural health resources.

Ascension St. John Nowata President Tanner Holt said the new designation allows the hospital to align resources with the health care needs of the community while continuing to provide essential local services.

For Nowata residents, that means the emergency department remains open and outpatient care remains available. But beginning this month, patients who need to be admitted to a hospital or require extended inpatient recovery will have to receive that care somewhere else.

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