Southwestern Medical Center Tapped to Join New Health System, ScionHealth
October 26, 2021
Southwestern Medical Center (SWMC) today announced it is among 18 LifePoint Health hospital campuses and associated sites of care selected to become part of a new national health system called ScionHealth.
SWMC is currently part of LifePoint Health, which announced earlier this year plans to acquire leading post-acute provider Kindred Healthcare. As part of that acquisition, the companies announced today they intend to create ScionHealth, a new company that will be comprised of 61 long-term acute care hospitals from Kindred and 18 of LifePoint’s hospital campuses and associated sites of care – including SWMC.
As part of ScionHealth, SWMC will continue to have access to capital to invest in its facility and community, as well as resources and support to accelerate its ongoing efforts to enhance healthcare delivery and expand the services available in Southwest Oklahoma.
“The opportunity to join ScionHealth is exciting,” said Elizabeth Jones, chief executive officer at SWMC. “As part of this new company, we will have access to more targeted resources and collaboration that will help us to serve our patients and communities in new ways and create new opportunities for our employees. We believe this transition will be a positive one for our employees, physicians and community. Members of the Lawton Fort Sill and surrounding communities will greatly benefit from this endeavor.”
SWMC’s leadership will remain the same, and all employees will transition to ScionHealth once the transition is completed. Rob Jay, currently executive vice president of integrated operations at LifePoint, will serve as ScionHealth’s chief executive officer. The company will be headquartered in Louisville, Ky.
While very little change in day-to-day operations is anticipated, SWMC is committed to ensuring its transition to the new company is seamless for patients, providers and employees. Patients will continue to receive great care from the providers they know and trust, and there will be no changes in any services – or in how patients or providers access care.
“I am excited at the prospect of welcoming Southwestern Medical Center to ScionHealth,” said Jay. “I look forward to working with its employees and physicians to explore new ways that we can improve the health of people across Southwest Oklahoma.”
Pending regulatory approval and satisfaction of customary closing conditions, LifePoint and Kindred expect the launch of ScionHealth to be completed by the end of the year.
For more information, visit LifePointHealth.net.