Baptist Health Care

Community Frequently Asked Questions

Will our move have any impact on the traffic flow on Davis Highway?  –  November 19, 2008
The acquisition of West Florida Hospital will result in the shifting of a number of acute care services to the West Florida site, which likely will increase traffic for the Davis Highway area. However, highway construction projects will be mostly complete and should better able to handle traffic volumes by the time the transition occurs.
I have not heard much from Baptist Health Care about the acquisition of West Florida Hospital lately; what is the status of this?  –  October 8, 2008
Since receiving clearance from the Federal Trade Commission in late August, Baptist Health Care has secured bond ratings for financing and is continuing plans for the transition.

Because of current instability in the credit markets, Baptist Health Care’s financial advisors have suggested a brief delay in proceeding with the financing until things stabilize in the financial marketplace. Meanwhile, Baptist Health Care continues the process of getting everything ready for the final financing and making all the needed preparations for a smooth transition in this major milestone in Baptist’s history.
What reassurance can Baptist Health Care offer community members that fear a lack of health care services in their neighborhood?   –  October 8, 2008
Although Baptist Health Care’s main downtown facility will no longer be an inpatient facility, it will continue to operate as a thriving, outpatient facility. The vast majority of services patients currently seek will remain.

We want to assure our downtown family, friends and neighbors that many important and substantial services such as diagnostic and imaging services and lab, new walk-in urgent care services, the three Baptist Medical Towers and the Lakeview Center will remain at this location. In addition, the corporate offices of Baptist Health Care will remain here, as well as numerous other medical services.

Baptist Health Care will continue to be a good neighbor serving the needs of this community providing superior quality health care. Throughout this transition, we remain steadfast in our not–for–profit mission of caring for members of our community who are poor and uninsured.
Why should the community embrace the merging of the hospitals?  –  October 8, 2008
Baptist Health Care is combining the best of two facilities. Once the acquisition is complete, Baptist Health Care will redefine health care excellence by expanding our comprehensive care for each and every resident of the communities we serve. We are committed to investing in and being a good community partner. As a result, more than 60 health care locations will be open to the residents of northwest Florida and southern Alabama, bringing superior care closer to home. By West Florida Hospital becoming a not–for–profit hospital, dollars will stay local and be reinvested in the community, not sent out of the market.
What will happen to the current Baptist Hospital building?  –  October 8, 2008
The current Baptist Hospital will remain open until the consolidation is complete, approximately 12 to 18 months after the purchase.

The Campus Redevelopment Council conducted a community survey in early September and is currently reviewing the results and feedback. We want to assure our downtown family, friends and neighbors that many important and substantial services will continue.
I am interested in purchasing some of the Treasury Bonds that will be sold to pay for the planned purchase of West Florida. Is that possible?  –  October 7, 2008
We have posed this question to the investment bank that is handling the sale of the bonds to see if this would be possible in some form. We will advise once we have more information. To clarify, these bonds are not backed by the U.S. treasury, but will be issued based solely on the creditworthiness of Baptist Health Care.
Following the acquisition, what health insurance plans will be honored?  –  September 15, 2008
Baptist Health Care continues to accept the same insurances it accepted prior to the expansion. Participation in insurance plan networks is continually reviewed and plan participation can change based on community and business needs. If you have a question about an insurance that is currently accepted at West Florida and you want to find out if Baptist accepts this same insurance, please call (850) 434-4080 to verify.
What’s going to happen to Sunshine Garden Cafe?  –  September 5, 2008
“Plans are for Sunshine Garden Cafe to continue serving our many downtown Pensacola customers that include the BHC employees and visitors as well as many other area businesses and individuals.” David Bookman, Sunshine Garden Cafe.
Will Baptist Medical Park 9 Mile close following the acquisition?  –  September 5, 2008
No. Since it’s opening in 2000, Baptist Medical Park has served the growing communities in north Pensacola, Pace and Milton. Conveniently located at Nine Mile Road and University Parkway, the medical park offers convenient access to more than 50 dedicated physicians. Services include Imaging (MRI, CT, X–ray, Dexascans and Mammography), Physical Therapy, Cardiology, Outpatient Surgery and Walk–In Urgent Care clinic; along with a variety of outpatient medical services. Following the acquisition of West Florida Hospital, the medical park will continue to offer all of these services with plans to grow to better serve the needs of the community.
Will the Ambulatory clinic remaining at the Baptist downtown campus take non–insured patients?  –  August 26, 2008
Caring for the poor and uninsured in our community regardless of ability to pay is a hallmark of the Baptist Health Care mission. That will not change with our urgent care center at the Baptist downtown campus. Our team will continue to care for patients regardless of their ability to pay. Rendering care in an emergency department is more costly than any other entry point in the health care system, and as often pointed out, it frequently is used for non–emergency situations, specifically conditions that would be better served in a primary care setting. Having urgent care services in the downtown community will allow us to provide for primary care needs more effectively, in regards to wait times, personnel and cost, than is possible in the emergency department setting.
Will there be an on–site pharmacy remaining at Baptist Medical Park Downtown?  –  August 25, 2008
We plan to maintain a pharmacy on this location to serve over 1,000 employees on this campus, patients being treated at the future urgent care center and for the patients of those physicians who will continue to practice in our Towers and surrounding offices.
Will all psychiatric care shift to the current Baptist Behavioral building across from the main hospital? If so, are there plans to expand the bed availability?   –  August 15, 2008
All psychiatric inpatient care will be provided at the Baptist Behavioral Medicine Center, the psychiatric hospital located across the street from the current Baptist Hospital. Current plans to expand bed availability include renovations on the second floor to add 30 beds. Long–range plans are to consider construction of a new psychiatric hospital, something that would not begin for at least five years, replacing the 50–plus year old facility to meet the growing needs of our community.
Is Baptist Health Care acquiring the Medical Center Clinic as part of the West Florida Hospital purchase?  –  August 11, 2008
The Medical Center Clinic is a separate facility from West Florida Hospital and will remain independent of the Baptist Health Care acquisition of West Florida Hospital. Many of the physicians who have practices at the Medical Center Clinic already have medical staff privileges with Baptist, and we look forward to building those relationships and providing more convenient access to patients.
Since West Florida Hospital is closing, will Sacred Heart be the only obstetrics hospital to provide deliveries?  –  August 11, 2008
Baptist Hospital’s obstetrics unit currently delivers about 1,200 babies annually. Once the Mother Baby inpatient unit moves to the West Florida Hospital location, we will continue to provide obstetrics services and expect more than 1,500 deliveries annually.
Where will the outpatient procedures be done?  –  July 11, 2008
The main downtown campus will continue to be a vital, full service outpatient facility offering the following:
  • Walk–in urgent care center to provide services for patients who require non–emergent medical care
  • Physician offices in the three Baptist Towers
  • Diagnostic imaging services
  • Laboratory services
  • Outpatient physical rehabilitation
  • Wound care and hyperbaric medicine
  • Baptist Health Care corporate offices
  • Lakeview Center
  • Combined inpatient psychiatric services at the current Baptist Behavioral Medicine Hospital
  • In addition, the full service outpatient campus will provide food services, environmental services, security and plant operations.
Will dialysis services continue at Baptist Hospital?  –  July 11, 2008
The group who manages dialysis services plans to remain in the downtown Baptist Towers.
I am just curious if anything will be added to Baptist Medical Park in Navarre? It seems that the community has persistently grown and because it is near Gulf Breeze/Midway area and Holley, it would be an opportune location for an urgent care center.  –  July 11, 2008
An urgent care center is a good solution to providing more convenient care for non life–threatening emergencies. A walk–in urgent care center can provide the same medical care, supported by any needed diagnostic services such as x–ray and lab, faster and more efficiently. Baptist currently has an urgent care center at Baptist Medical Park on Nine Mile Road, and we plan to add one at the downtown location as well as Baptist Medical Park Navarre. We are currently recruiting a lead physician for the Navarre walk–in urgent care center which will also offer occupational medicine.
Will the Friary relocate to the downtown campus?  –  July 11, 2008
There are no plans to relocate the Friary, currently located in Gulf Breeze, to the main campus. Following the acquisition, Baptist Health Care will offer more than 60 locations to offer residents throughout northwest Florida and south Alabama convenient access to care.
What will happen to the current Baptist Hospital building?  –  July 7, 2008
We don’t know yet, but we would like to find a use for it that will benefit the community. To help determine future development of the current Baptist Hospital building, Baptist is establishing a Campus Redevelopment Council that will consist of local community members with experience in urban planning, community redevelopment, transportation and economics. Baptist Health Care will continue to be a good neighbor serving the needs of this community providing superior quality health care.
How will the move affect the downtown and west side communities’ access to medical services?  –  July 3, 2008
Baptist Hospital currently has hundreds of thousands outpatient encounters a year at the downtown campus and roughly only 5% are inpatient stays. Baptist Medical Park Downtown, as it will be called, will remain a thriving campus for patients needing outpatient services offering:
  • Lakeview Center
  • Combined inpatient psychiatric services at the current Baptist Behavioral Medicine Hospital
  • Walk-in urgent care center to provide services for patients who require non-emergent medical care
  • Diagnostic imaging services
  • Laboratory services
  • Outpatient physical rehabilitation
  • Wound care and hyperbaric medicine
  • Physician offices in the three Baptist Towers
  • Baptist Health Care corporate offices
  • In addition, the full service outpatient campus will provide food services, environmental services, security and plant operations
What will happen to Rehabilitation Institute of West Florida?  –  July 3, 2008
As an entity of West Florida Hospital, they will be included in the acquisition.
Why is Baptist Health Care acquiring West Florida Hospital?  –  June 27, 2008
This acquisition is the smart choice to maximize efficiency in the delivery of health care services to help control costs and enhance the quality of life in our community. This opportunity ensures we can continue to meet the growing health care needs of the poor and uninsured—a hallmark of Baptist Health Care’s Mission. Baptist Health Care will continue our award-winning quality of health care service to meet the growing demand of our community by expanding to more modern facilities.
What will be the primary services at the Davis Highway location?  –  June 27, 2008
The new Baptist Hospital on Davis Highway will be a full-service hospital providing all of the major areas of care:
  • New Baptist Cancer Center in affiliation with Moffitt Cancer Institute
  • Expanded Emergency Department and LifeFlight helipad
  • Enhanced Baptist Heart & Vascular Center of Excellence
  • Expanded Baptist Neurosciences Center
  • New Parking Garage
  • New Medical Office Buildings
  • Comprehensive Baptist Rehab Hospital for neurologic and orthopaedic conditions
  • Bariatric Center of Excellence
  • Labor & Delivery
  • Orthopaedic Care
What impact will this acquisition, and the resulting changes, have on the downtown community?  –  June 27, 2008
At Baptist Health Care we are excited about the prospects of the redevelopment opportunities for our downtown campus—the current Baptist Hospital will become the new Baptist Medical Park Downtown. We want to assure our downtown family, friends and neighbors that many important and substantial services will not change at this location and that we will continue to keep the corporate offices of Baptist Health Care here, as well as numerous other medical services. We will continue to serve patients at this location with diagnostic and imaging services, lab, walk–in urgent care services, new walk-in urgent care services (along with primary care, this is a critical need for this community), the three Baptist Medical Towers and the Lakeview Center. This opportunity ensures we can continue to meet the growing health care needs of the poor and uninsured—a hallmark of Baptist Health Care’s Mission.

To help determine future development of the downtown campus, Baptist is establishing a Campus Redevelopment Council that will consist of local community members with experience in urban planning, community redevelopment, transportation and economics. Baptist Health Care will continue to be a good neighbor serving the needs of this community providing superior quality health care.

How will the acquisition impact property taxes?  –  June 27, 2008
We care about our community—its people, businesses and quality of life. In fact, Baptist Health Care is one of the largest taxpayers in our community, paying more than $1.5 million dollars in property taxes in this year alone (from our medical office buildings and other taxable entities). There will be an initial decrease in property tax revenue for Escambia County. This cannot be helped when an out-of-state for-profit hospital is acquired by a local not-for-profit hospital. However, the profits from West Florida that were generated in our community, but were being sent out of state, will now be dollars that remain in our community and will benefit our economy. Further, Baptist Health Care significantly reduces the tax burden in our community by providing more than $30 million in charity care for the needs of the poor and uninsured each year and more than $136 million in total uncompensated care. This is one of the pillars of our mission and a significant benefit to the community. After the acquisition, Baptist expects that it will provide more than $162 million in uncompensated care.  This increase of more than $26 million in uncompensated care more than offsets the loss of property taxes from West Florida Hospital. This acquisition will help ensure that Baptist can continue to meet the growing health care needs of our community for the future.
Many area residents are active and retired military. Will Baptist accept TRICARE?  –  June 27, 2008
Yes, we accept TRICARE and have since February 1, 2007.