Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry signed into law a bill that appropriates $5 million for the authority that oversees 331-bed Oklahoma State University Medical Center, Tulsa, which is owned by Ardent Health Services, Nashville. The appropriation is the first of five annual appropriations that the OSU Medical Authority will use to fund operations.
As part of that deal with state lawmakers, investor-owned Ardent will donate the hospital to the Tulsa City Trust, said Earl Denning, president of Hillcrest HealthCare System, Ardent’s Tulsa hospital system. Ardent and the trust are reviewing the final documents and expect to close the transaction by April 1, Denning said. Ardent acquired the hospital in 2004 as part of its $281.2 million purchase of Hillcrest HealthCare System, Tulsa.
St. John Health System, Tulsa, has agreed in principle to a contract to operate the facility, which hosts the residency program of OSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine.
