Lankford, Colleagues Push for Greater Health Care Access for Oklahomans, the Nation

WASHINGTON, DC — Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and his colleagues today introduced the Physician Led and Rural Access to Quality Care Act that would amend a ban put in place by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), once again empowering physician-owned hospitals (POHs) to expand and deliver high-quality care to Medicare and Medicaid patients, particularly in rural communities. 

“Oklahomans and rural communities across the country need more quality health care options,” said Lankford. “This bill lifts the outdated restrictions that have blocked physician-owned hospitals from growing or opening where they’re needed most. Local physicians should be empowered to deliver high-quality, patient-focused care in rural Oklahoma.”

“When physicians lead hospitals, patients win,” said Dr. Adam Bruggeman, MD, FAAOS, chair of the Advocacy Council at the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons. “Physician-led hospitals are a powerful solution to the consolidation plaguing our healthcare system. By lifting outdated restrictions on physician ownership, we can drive down costs, improve quality, and expand access to care, especially in underserved rural areas. It’s past time to empower physicians to build healthcare institutions that prioritize patients over profits.”

“The daily headlines are impossible to ignore,” said Physician-Led Healthcare for America (PHA) President-elect Carlos Cardenas, MD. “Healthcare costs are skyrocketing, rural hospitals are shuttering at alarming rates, and quality and patient satisfaction continue to decline. The status quo is failing us. It’s time to revitalize our healthcare system with a proven solution: physician-led hospitals.” 

“Across the country, patients in rural communities are struggling to access essential medical care as more rural hospitals are forced to close due to the immense financial strain associated with declining reimbursements and rising medical costs,” said Bruce A. Scott, MD, President of the American Medical Association. “By allowing physicians to invest in and revitalize these hospitals, this legislation has the power to preserve and expand access to critical health care services in the communities that need them most. Physician-led hospitals are known to deliver high-quality, cost-effective care. This is a commonsense solution to a worsening problem. The AMA strongly supports this legislation and urges Congress to pass it as a vital step toward improving health care access for rural patients.”

Lankford is joined in introducing the bill by Senators Roger Marshall (R-KS), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), John Cornyn (R-TX), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), John Boozman (R-AR), John Barrasso (R-WY), and Ted Budd (R-NC). 

Background

POHs represent less than five percent of the 5,700 hospitals nationwide. However, POHs have a successful track record of providing individualized and innovative quality care, and they meet a growing demand for health care services, especially in rural areas. Seventy-three percent of POHs with a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) overall hospital quality star rating earned three or more stars in the program; 26 percent of them have earned five stars.

In 2023, Sen. Lankford and Dr. Brian J. Miller published an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal about the importance of including physician-owned hospitals in the litany of quality nonprofit and community-based health care options available to Oklahomans and people around the nation.

Senator Lankford, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, has also introduced similar legislation, the Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act, many times over the past several years.