Healthcare Partners Bring Post-Acute Care Services to Lacombe

Northshore Medical Complex opens in former heart hospital building

LACOMBE, LA.—Northshore Medical Complex opened today in the former Louisiana Heart Hospital building, providing post-acute care services for the Northshore region. Working together as partners, Ochsner Health System (OHS), St. Tammany Parish Hospital (STPH) and Slidell Memorial Hospital (SMH) are offering long-term acute care and rehabilitation services in one location at 64026 Highway 434, Lacombe, LA 70445.

“This facility is the first of its kind in St. Tammany, and it brings a world-class level of care to our residents, and jobs to our local workforce,” said Pat Brister, St. Tammany Parish President. “We are excited about the commitment of OHS, STPH and SMH to work together and provide quality medical care close to home.”

As the population on the Northshore grows, this partnership provides the opportunity to improve clinical coordination, allow more patients to receive care close to home and reduce the overall cost of healthcare. Nationwide trends show people are living longer, and advances in medical treatments are increasing the lifespan of patients with debilitating diseases. This creates an immediate need for more access to post-acute care services across the country.

With an investment of $15 million over five years, the Northshore Medical Complex includes the 30-bed Northshore Rehabilitation Hospital and 58-bed Northshore Extended Care Hospital.

The Northshore Rehabilitation Hospital is operated by Select Medical and provides intensive rehabilitative care in an inpatient setting. The hospital is equipped with a state-of-the-art gym with the latest technology, an activities of daily living suite and training area – all of which help patients achieve their best outcomes when recovering from stroke, brain and spinal cord injuries, orthopedic conditions, neurological disorders, cancer and cardiac conditions.

“The partners have worked together to plan and open this specialized destination care center for patients upon discharge from the hospital to provide post-acute care right here in St. Tammany Parish,” said John Herman, CEO, Northshore Region, OHS. “All services involve additional partnerships with national best-in-class providers. Northshore Medical Complex is a new, innovative approach in this region to incorporate transparency and visibility into care for patients and enhance continuity of care, patient satisfaction and quality outcomes.”

The Northshore Extended Care Hospital is designed to provide long-term acute care for the most critically ill patients. OHS, STPH and SMH are partnering with LHC Group to provide these services. LHC Group is a leading national provider of post-acute healthcare services in 37 states.

“This partnership enhances post-acute care options for residents of St. Tammany Parish and provides a better quality of care all in one location, allowing patients to progress as they improve after they leave the hospital,” said Joan Coffman, President and CEO, STPH. “Together, STPH and OHS are committed to enhancing access to care, improving quality, advancing patient-centered technology and reducing the overall cost of care to invest in more for our patients.”

In addition to expanding access to post-acute care services, the new facility offers outpatient imaging services and houses the Northshore Region Service Center for administrative support functions. Outpatient imaging services includes x-ray, CT, MRI and ultrasound. The service center houses over 100 non-clinical employees with room to accommodate expected population growth in St. Tammany Parish.

“SMH and OHS formed a strategic partnership to expand access to care, advance quality and innovation, and increase value for our patients, and this new complex is the next step in centralizing and growing health care services for St. Tammany Parish,” said Kerry Tirman, CEO, SMH | Ochsner. “Through partnerships like this one, SMH and Ochsner Medical Center–Northshore have the opportunity to make a significant investment in our community by offering critical post-acute care services, growing jobs and expanding administrative services on the Northshore.”

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About Ochsner Health System

Ochsner Health is Louisiana’s largest non-profit, academic, healthcare system. Driven by a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate, coordinated clinical and hospital patient care is provided across the region by Ochsner's 40 owned, managed and affiliated hospitals and specialty hospitals, and more than 100 health centers and urgent care centers. Ochsner is the #1 ranked hospital in Louisiana by U.S. News & World Report and is recognized as a “Best Hospital” across two specialty categories caring for patients from all 50 states and more than 70 countries worldwide each year. Ochsner Hospital for Children is the only facility in Louisiana to be recognized as a top 50 children’s hospital by U.S. News & World Report for three consecutive years. Ochsner employs nearly 25,000 employees and over 4,500 employed and affiliated physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties and conducts more than 700 clinical research studies. Ochsner Health is proud to be a tobacco-free environment. For more information, please visit ochsner.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

About St. Tammany Parish Hospital

A full-service acute care facility committed to providing world-class healthcare and the latest technology, St. Tammany Parish Hospital delivers today’s life-improving procedures with the utmost care to area residents with emphasis on wellness, preventive care and disease management close to home. STPH is recognized for quality, safety and the patient experience by CareChex, Leapfrog, Healthgrades, Hospital Compare, Women’s Choice and US News & World Report. St. Tammany Parish Hospital is an independent service district in a clinically integrated partnership with Ochsner Health System. Together, the two organizations focus on aligning their healthcare offerings to best serve patients and families in west St. Tammany and surrounding areas. Under their agreement, the two organizations retain their autonomy; neither partner manages nor owns the other. STPH is a self-supporting not-for-profit community hospital; it receives no tax funding. Learn more at STPH.org.

About Slidell Memorial Hospital

Slidell Memorial Hospital is a full-service 223-bed acute care not-for-profit community hospital located at 1001 Gause Blvd., in the heart of Slidell. Founded in 1959, SMH serves as a primary healthcare resource for families in St. Tammany Parish, La.; and, Pearl River County, Miss. In 2016, SMH and Ochsner Health entered into a joint operating agreement to offer area residents access to expanded local care. SMH works in an integrated environment with Ochsner Medical Center – North Shore, collaborating with leadership, physicians and staff to share best practices, grow services and implement advanced, patient-centered technology. For more information, visit http://www.slidellmemorial.org/. The hospital’s main phone number is (985) 280-2200.

About Select Medical Holdings Corporation

Select Medical is one of the largest operators of critical illness recovery hospitals (previously referred to as long term acute care hospitals), rehabilitation hospitals, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, and occupational health centers in the United States based on the number of facilities. As of June 30, 2019, Select Medical had operations in 47 states and the District of Columbia. Select Medical operated 100 critical illness recovery hospitals in 28 states, 28 rehabilitation hospitals in 12 states, and 1,695 outpatient rehabilitation clinics in 37 states and the District of Columbia. Concentra, a joint venture subsidiary, operated 526 occupational health centers in 41 states as of June 30, 2019. Concentra also provides contract services at employer worksites and Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinics.

About LHC Group, Inc.

LHC Group, Inc. is a national provider of in-home healthcare services and innovations, providing high-quality and affordable healthcare services to patients in the privacy and comfort of the home or place of residence. LHC Group’s services cover a wide range of healthcare needs for patients and families dealing with illness, injury, or chronic conditions. The company’s 32,000 employees deliver home health, hospice, home and community based services, and facility-based care in 35 states and the District of Columbia – reaching 60 percent of the U.S. population aged 65 and older. LHC Group is the preferred in-home healthcare partner for 350 leading hospitals around the country. In 2019, the company was named to the inaugural Forbes list of “America’s Best-in-State Employers.”