Tulsa's Cancer Treatment Centers Of America Location To Close After 30 Years

The Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Tulsa announced Wednesday its location is closing June 1.

The facility has been a part of the community for 30 years and said it now has no choice but to close due to insurance limitations.

Daynie Haynie, president of CTCA Tulsa, said it has been an emotional day as the community learned of the closure. Haynie said the closure will impact 400 employees and 2,000 patients.

According to Haynie, there have been challenges for years. She said insurance limitations in this market, including many patients not having the option to choose where to get treatment based on their in and out-of-network benefits, are the biggest factors.

Haynie said CTCA sent 2,000 emails to active patients and those scheduled for follow-ups to let them know about the closure.

The oncology network's other hospitals, including Atlanta, Chicago and Phoenix, will stay open, while the Philadelphia location announced last week it is being bought by another health system. 

"Those hospitals in the other markets all have in-network contracts with the major payers in their communities and in their states,” said Haynie. 

When asked whether there was something Oklahoma could have done to keep the Tulsa location open, Haynie said, “We were not able to get a resolution in this market to be able to do that."

Haynie said patients and staff will get resources to help them transition to other jobs and treatment. 

In a letter to patients and employees, the CTCA in Tulsa said they did not come to the decision lightly.

"We have worked tirelessly over multiple years to overcome the insurmountable patient access and insurance limitations for CTCA® Tulsa, highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, that have inexplicably restricted patient care options and prevented choice. After exhausting all options, unfortunately, we realized the Oklahoma market was not going to expand options for patients to treat at CTCA Tulsa, which led to this very difficult decision," Haynie said in the letter.

You can read the full letter to patients and caregivers below.

You and your healing are at the center of our hearts, minds and actions, every day. Therefore, it is with a heavy heart and great sadness we share that after over 30 years of faithfully serving this community, Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) Tulsa will close operations as of June 1, 2021.

Given our cherished relationship with you, please know that we did not make this decision lightly. We have worked tirelessly over multiple years to overcome the insurmountable patient access and insurance limitations for CTCA® Tulsa, highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, that have inexplicably restricted patient care options and prevented choice. After exhausting all options, unfortunately, we realized the Oklahoma market was not going to expand options for patients to treat at CTCA Tulsa, which led to this very difficult decision.

Our top priority during this transition is to provide an appropriate and seamless transition of your care. We would love to continue to have the privilege of caring for you and are prepared to arrange your future care with a talented care team at a CTCA location of your preference. However, knowing that some patients may prefer to stay local, we can also facilitate a transition of care to another provider you may select.

If you have a scheduled appointment with CTCA Tulsa, there is no action needed on your part. We will continue to provide patient care in Tulsa over the next 60 days, while also partnering with our patients to transition their care. In the next several days, our team will reach out and begin to walk you through next steps, as it is critical that you continue with appropriate medical care. If you have general questions, please view our FAQs that will be updated throughout this transition. We are also sending this information to your mailing address on file.

We thank you and your loved ones for being part of our CTCA family and for your patience and understanding as we work through this transition. As always, we are committed to delivering the Mother Standard® of care.