Conclusion

Due to years of deferred maintenance, lack of reinvestment in facilities, and changes in privacy regulation, MCLNO is housed in hopelessly outmoded facilities. Without action, MCLNO will likely lose its facility accreditation. The loss of this accreditation will cause MCLNO to fail to meet its mission of providing healthcare access to the uninsured, resulting in the redistribution of the area’s medically indigent to New Orleans’ other hospitals at a potentially higher cost to the state, and could possibly cause the evaporation of key health profession educational programs in New Orleans.

To avoid this, a new University Hospital must be constructed. A strategic vision for MCLNO in 2013 finds that it will continue to fulfill its dual role of providing a site for medical education and clinical care, remain the primary healthcare services resource in the region for the uninsured, function as the trauma provider for all patients in the region and remain the tertiary-care provider for the uninsured throughout the state. Further, MCLNO will expand the volume of insured patients through focused programmatic development efforts and a marketing strategy centered on building market share of Medicare and Medicaid populations within the African-American community in the core market and New Orleans East. In addition, MCLNO will provide a state-of-the-art academic medical center with leading medical technology and clinical information systems to achieve the best possible patient outcomes; improve hospital and clinic operations with leading information technology to ensure timely and accurate revenue collection processes and maximize other operational efficiencies; and maintain a sound financial position and an ability to generate the capital necessary to sustain operations into the future.

The Planning Team recommends that LSU HCSD seriously consider locating the replacement facility north of Tulane, with an address facing Canal Street. Such a location will allow for the necessary future expansion of this facility, open additional space for the LSU Health Sciences Center, provide a better image and better transportation access, and tie directly into the ongoing urban redevelopment efforts of the community and the city of New Orleans. The construction of new state-of-the-art healthcare delivery facilities will further maximize the potential operational efficiencies of the consolidation of Charity and University inpatient and outpatient facilities. Despite some higher first costs, the facility in the North Option configuration will allow for a more seamless and less expensive long-term delivery of outpatient and inpatient services with a simultaneous opening date, also enabling earlier access to care.