Ochsner to Purchase NorthShore Regional Medical Center

SLIDELL, La., Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The private, not-for-profit Ochsner Health System today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to purchase NorthShore Regional Medical Center (NSRMC), the ambulatory surgery center and several pieces of property on which the facility is located in Slidell, Louisiana. The projected closing date is April 1, 2010: this purchase will expand Ochsner Health System to eight hospitals in Southeast Louisiana. The medical staff will remain "open," which is consistent with how the facility operates today.

In 2009, Tenet Healthcare Corporation announced their intention to discontinue operating NSRMC. Ochsner will purchase the hospital and Tenet-owned assets on the campus. "By preserving the future of NorthShore Regional Medical Center, Ochsner has the opportunity to strengthen its long-term medical commitment in the North Shore, expand medical services and technology, and position the facility as an asset to more Louisiana and Mississippi patients," says Dr. Patrick Quinlan, CEO of Ochsner Health System.

Ochsner's large clinical presence on the North Shore and its strong patient support of over 250,000 annual visits provides a strong base for expansion of medical services at NorthShore Regional Medical Center. "Ochsner North Shore has 110 physicians that provide care to approximately 81,000 North Shore residents. On the North Shore, we delivered over 400 babies and provide over 11,000 surgeries and procedures annually," says Warner Thomas, President and Chief Operating Officer of Ochsner Health System. Ochsner has 10 North Shore-based health centers in Slidell, Covington, Abita Springs, Hammond, and Mandeville.

Thomas adds, "This expansion will allow us to grow our primary and specialty care services, with particular focus on cardiac, cancer, and women's services, and we're also interested in expanding the pediatric services that NorthShore Regional has grown over the past several years."

"Additional patient benefits will include convenience, coordination, and continuity of care," explains Scott Boudreaux, CEO of the Ochsner North Shore region. "We'll reduce the need for North Shore patients to cross Lake Pontchartrain for Ochsner hospital services and offer our growing population of patients from nearby communities in Mississippi a closer hospital option." About 15 percent of Ochsner North Shore patients are Mississippi residents. Boudreaux says patients will also have access to expanded medical care through telemedicine technology and Ochsner's electronic medical record.

"Ochsner will continue to operate NorthShore Regional as an open medical staff and looks forward to working with local, independent physicians," notes E. Edward Martin, M.D., Medical Director of the Ochsner North Shore Region. Ochsner has a proven track record of acquiring hospitals, working with the existing medical staff, and expanding patient care. Ochsner's most recent hospital acquisitions in the New Orleans region have shown marked improvement in quality measures such as Inpatient Risk Adjusted Mortality and Complication Indexes, based on Thomson Reuters Risk Adjustment Methodology. They have also benefited from improved patient satisfaction, employee engagement, and financial results.

NorthShore Regional Medical Center is a 165-bed acute care, full-service hospital with a 24-hour emergency room and the only PICU on the North Shore. "Ochsner is excited about the opportunity to serve more people in the Slidell area, expand services at NorthShore Regional, and improve access to medical care in the community," says Boudreaux.

SOURCE Ochsner Health System