Ochsner Completes Purchase of Three New Orleans Hospitals

NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ — Ochsner Health System announced today the completion of the purchase of three New Orleans hospitals, adding to its network of existing hospitals and health centers spread throughout the Southeast Louisiana region. These include:

   * Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner (formerly Kenner Regional Medical Center     in Kenner, LA)    * Ochsner Medical Center – West Bank (formerly Meadowcrest Hospital in     Gretna, LA)    * Ochsner Baptist Medical Center (formerly Memorial Medical Center in New     Orleans, LA)   

“Signs of progress are everywhere in New Orleans,” says Dr. Patrick Quinlan, Chief Executive Officer of Ochsner Health System. “Ochsner’s decision to unify these hospitals was based on the need to provide accessible healthcare to residents and provide a strong base in which our city can rebuild and grow. We believe our investment, as a strong, local owner, in our city, will make a difference.”

Ochsner plans to better meet the city’s long-term healthcare needs by investing in technology and equipment throughout all the facilities, expanding academic medical education programs and clinical research to attract new physicians and healthcare workers to the area.

“Ochsner will continue to provide acute-care services at both Ochsner Medical Center — Kenner and Ochsner Medical Center — West Bank without interruption, and patients can continue to see their physicians at these locations,” says Warner Thomas, President and Chief Operating Officer at Ochsner. All three locations will remain open-staff models, which means patients aren’t required to have an Ochsner doctor in order to use these hospitals and any physician can use these facilities.

Additionally, all three locations will continue to accept Tenet Health Plans. This applies to Ochsner Medical Center — Kenner, Ochsner Medical Center — West Bank, and Ochsner Baptist Medical Center. All other Ochsner Health Centers or Ochsner hospitals are not in-network for Tenet Health Plans.

Communities along the West Bank of New Orleans and in East Jefferson parish are some of the fastest growing areas of the city, and as populations increase, so does the need for healthcare.

“Ochsner Medical Center — Kenner offers many specialized medical services that aren’t available at outlying hospitals in East Jefferson and St. Charles parishes, and, currently, only two acute-care hospitals are operating in West Jefferson and Plaquemines parishes,” explains Thomas.

“Ochsner will build services, expand hospital beds, and improve medical technology at these facilities to provide residents in the New Orleans and tri-parish regions with additional medical care and the stability and confidence to grow,” pledges Thomas.

According to Dr. Quinlan, restoration of the Baptist location is underway, which was marked by the opening of the surgical hospital, NOSHI, on September 27. As for the rest of the facility, it is still in the planning stages.

“Baptist is back!” says Dr. Quinlan. “Following a community survey, the public told us that they wanted the Baptist name. This location has provided excellent care for thousands of New Orleanians for 80 years, and, we believe, their desire to see the name’s return represents the city’s growing optimism,” says Dr. Quinlan.

Ochsner Medical Center’s Kenner and West Bank locations mark the system’s first acute-care venture into the outlying communities. But, says Thomas, Ochsner has been committed to these regions for over 10 years. “Ochsner opened clinics in Kenner, Lapalco and Algiers in the late 1980′s and is making plans to rebuild its Algiers health center, which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.”

With the addition of these three locations, Ochsner Health System has continued to grow and provide services. Ochsner’s commitment to expansion over the past five years has included the following facilities:

   * Ochsner St. Anne General Hospital in Raceland, Louisiana    * Ochsner Medical Center Baton Rouge in Baton Rouge, Louisiana    * Ochsner Covington Medical Center in Covington, Louisiana   

With the addition of these three hospitals, the Ochsner system now includes five acute-care hospitals, a surgical hospital (NOSHI) a sub-acute facility, and 25 health centers throughout Southeast Louisiana.

Citigroup Corporation and Investment Banking served as legal and mergers and acquisition advisors to Ochsner. Additional advisors included Jones Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrere & Denegre, L.L.P., and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Ochsner Health System (http://www.ochsner.org/) is a non-profit, academic, multi-specialty, healthcare delivery system dedicated to patient care, research and education. The system includes five acute care hospitals, a surgical hospital, a sub-acute facility, and 25 health centers located throughout Southeast Louisiana. Through our unique coordinated system, Ochsner provides healthcare with peace of mind because we put the needs of all patients first. Ochsner employs over 600 physicians in 80 medical specialties and subspecialties and conducts over 750 ongoing clinical research trials annually. Ochsner is ranked as one of the Best Places to Work by New Orleans’ CityBusiness Magazine and the Consumer Choice for Healthcare in New Orleans for 12 consecutive years.

Ochsner Health System

CONTACT: Amiee Goforth, +1-504-842-4303, agoforth@ochsner.org, orKatherine Voss, +1-504-842-2225, kvoss@ochsner.org

Web site: http://www.ochsner.org/