Purcell Municipal Hospital (PMH) continues to strengthen public confidence in local emergency care while expanding access to health care services across central and southern Oklahoma.

Since partnering with TeamHealth in March 2022, PMH has remained committed to providing high-quality, around-the-clock emergency care.

The partnership initially brought an all-physician Emergency Department model and established dedicated emergency medicine leadership under Medical Director Dr. Matt Wood.

Like many rural hospitals nationwide, PMH continues to face increasing labor costs, physician shortages, reimbursement challenges and uncertainty surrounding future health care funding.

Rural health care leaders have voiced concerns regarding the potential impact of provisions within H.R. 1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” including Medicaid funding changes that could increase financial pressures on rural hospitals and reduce access to care in under served communities.

PMH leadership continues to closely monitor these developments while working to ensure the hospital remains financially strong and capable of serving the region for years to come.

To ensure long-term sustainability while maintaining 24/7 emergency services, PMH made the difficult but necessary decision in August 2024, with the support of city leadership including former Mayor Graham Fishburn, to transition from an all-physician staffing model to a physician-led hybrid staffing model.

The Emergency Department now combines emergency physicians with emergency medicine-trained Advanced Practice Providers (APPs), including nurse practitioners and physician assistants. These providers are specifically selected for their emergency medicine experience and training and work as part of a physician-led emergency medicine team.

Dr. Matt Wood, Emergency Department Medical Director, emphasized that PMH’s emergency medicine model maintains physician oversight while ensuring patients receive care from experienced emergency medicine professionals.

“Our Advanced Practice Providers are not new graduates learning emergency medicine on the job,” Wood said. “The nurse practitioners and physician assistants who work in our Emergency Department are selected because of their emergency medicine training, experience and ability to manage a wide range of emergency conditions.

“We maintain high standards when recruiting providers because our patients deserve experienced clinicians at the bedside,” he said.

Wood noted that physician leadership and oversight remain a critical component of PMH’s Emergency Department operations.

“As Medical Director, I remain actively involved in the department and available for consultation in real time,” Wood said. “Emergency medicine is a team sport. Our physicians and APPs work closely together to ensure patients receive safe, high-quality care. Whether a patient is seen initially by a physician or an APP, there is a physician-led process in place focused on delivering the best possible outcomes for our patients.

“Our responsibility is to provide high-quality emergency care to the communities we serve,” Wood said. “The model we use today allows us to continue providing that care 24 hours a day while ensuring patients have access to experienced emergency medicine providers close to home.”

At the same time, PMH has experienced significant growth in demand for emergency services. Emergency Department volumes have increased from approximately 7,100 patient visits in 2021 to more than 11,100 visits during the past year, representing more than a 56 percent increase in annual volume.

Hospital leadership attributes much of that growth to the closure of hospital services in Pauls Valley and the increasing number of patients choosing PMH for their health care needs.

“The increase in volume demonstrates the critical role PMH plays in providing access to emergency care for our region,” said Chris Wright, CEO/CNO of Purcell Municipal Hospital.

“As health care resources become more limited in rural Oklahoma, we remain committed to ensuring patients have access to high-quality emergency care close to home.”

In addition to serving its primary communities of Purcell, Lexington, Goldsby, Washington and Pauls Valley, PMH is increasingly caring for patients from Oklahoma City, Moore, Norman, Davis, Elmore City, Wynnewood and Lindsay.

“We are proud to serve our local communities, but we’re also seeing more patients bypass larger facilities and choose Purcell Municipal Hospital for their care,” Wright said.

“When patients are willing to drive past other options to receive care here, we view that as a reflection of the trust they place in our physicians, emergency medicine-trained APPs, nurses, and support staff.”

PMH continues to work closely with Wadley’s EMS to ensure patients receive the right level of care while maintaining access to services close to home whenever appropriate.

Less than 10 percent of PMH Emergency Department patients arrive by ambulance, meaning the vast majority choose where they seek care.

“We greatly value our partnership with Wadley’s EMS,” Wright continued.

“EMS plays a vital role in helping ensure our citizens receive the best care possible as close to home as possible. While most of our patients arrive by private vehicle, every patient deserves access to timely, high-quality emergency care. That’s why building community confidence in the services available at PMH remains so important,” Wright said.

A major focus of PMH’s efforts over the past two years has been improving patient experience and transparency. In November 2024, the hospital implemented an immediate Google review process for patients receiving care in the Emergency Department, Radiology Department, Laboratory and procedural areas.

Since launching the initiative, PMH’s Google rating has increased from 1.1 stars to 4.2 stars.

“Patient feedback has become one of our most valuable tools,” Wright said. “The comments we receive help us celebrate what’s working well and identify opportunities to improve. Most importantly, they allow the voices of our patients to be heard.”

Hospital leaders emphasize that responding to negative feedback is just as important as celebrating positive reviews.

“When patients take the time to tell us about a disappointing experience, we don't want to ignore it,” Wright said. “We make it a priority to follow up, listen and understand their concerns. Those conversations have helped us identify opportunities for improvement that we may not have otherwise recognized.”

According to Wright, direct patient feedback has led to meaningful improvements in communication, customer service, patient flow and care delivery processes.

“While these efforts have certainly improved our public reputation, the more important outcome is that they have improved the patient experience,” Wright said. “Our goal isn’t simply to achieve better ratings. Our goal is to provide better care. Every process change we make is centered on improving the patient’s experience.

“Rural hospitals across Oklahoma are facing unprecedented financial pressures,” Wright said. “Our responsibility is to make decisions that ensure Purcell Municipal Hospital remains strong, independent and available for future generations. Every decision we make is centered on maintaining access to quality health care close to home while adapting to an increasingly challenging health care environment.”

PMH continues to monitor patient satisfaction, online reviews, Emergency Department utilization and community feedback as part of its commitment to continuous improvement. Hospital leaders believe clear communication, transparency, provider visibility, and exceptional service remain the foundation for building trust.

“Our goal is simple,” Wright said. “We want our neighbors to know they can receive high-quality emergency care close to home. When families choose PMH in their time of need, trust means everything. Earning and maintaining that trust is something we take very seriously every day.”

Purcell Municipal Hospital’s Emergency Department operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, serving Purcell and surrounding communities as a Level IV Trauma Center.