Dramatic Change in Hospital's Image Seen

              Dramatic change in hospital's image seen
The Times SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER Sun.. Mav 4.1980 15-A
(Editor's note: The following is the
first of a two-part series dealing with
reports on the status of the Louisiana
State University Medical Center in
Shrevport. Part two will appear in
Friday's Times.)
By SALLY REESE
Times Medical Writer
A dramatic change in the hospi-tal's
image has been one of the
positive results of the merging of the
state's charity hospital with the
state's medical school here three
years ago.
That is the judgment of the chan-cellor
of the LSU medical system
regarding LSU Hospital today.
"The former image of the hospital
as being only for those who could not
afford better ... has been dramati-cally
changed," said Dr. Allen A.
Copping.
He saw this as a result of the
broadening of the hospital's tertiary
care, that is, care on all levels,
"including the most sophisticated
treatments." The latter often is done
on a referral basis "because they are
unavailable elsewhere."
The chancellor referred specifical-ly
to renal transplant surgery,
cardiovascular catheterization,
cystic fibrosis treatment, neonatal
intensive care, open heart surgery,
oncology, arthritis treatment, and
specialized burn care.
As a result of expanded care on all
levels, from basic to sophisticated,
the hospital now cares for a greater
economic mix of patients, he said.
The change in philosophy from
that of a charity hospital to that of a
university hospital has been influen-tial,
said Copping.
"It removed some of the widely
held negative connotations that were
associated with charity hospitals."
The change in name from Con-federate
Memorial Medical Center to
LSU Hospital symbolized the
philosophic transition.
A major boost in changing the
image came in the mid-1970s when
state law was amended to allow
other than indigents to be admitted
to LSU Hospital, said Copping. This
cast it in a better light for funding.
"Charity hospitals ... had been
generally viewed by taxpayers as a
financial drain, a view often reflect-ed
in legislative appropriations," the
chancellor commented.
Another dramatic example of
change "can be demonstrated by
dollars and cents," Copping said.
The hospital's bill collections have
improved "tremendously" since con-trol
was transferred to LSU Medical
Center in October, 1976.
An audit of the hospital's financial
status in January, 1979, showed a 90
percent increase in the hospital's
collection rate for health services, he
reported.
"This has allowed the hospital to
increase its resources through self-generated
funds not previously avail-able."
The merger itself provided op-portunities
to streamline adminis-tration
for more efficiency than was
possible when each institution was
operated by a separate state agency,
Copping continued. Consolidated af-ter
the merger were accounting-bill-ing,
payroll, purchasing, personnel,
security, and dietary.
LSU Hospital has advanced under
the administration of LSU Medical
Center, he declared. "It has im-proved."
Since it took over, LSU Medical
Center has transformed the hospital
into a teaching hospital, he said.
The conversion had to be ac-complished
philosophically, physi-cally,
and professionally, and all
simultaneously, said Copping.
The medical center has done this
without disturbing the hospital's
traditional role as chief provider of
medical services to indigent patients
in Northwest Louisiana, he said.
Gaining direct control over its
teaching hospital has enabled the
medical school to attract more facul-ty
and strengthen the hospital pro-grams,
he said. "This has resulted in
improved patient care."
Recognition of improved services
has resulted in an arrangement
whereby LSU Medical Center pro-vides
medical services to the state's
charity hospital in Monroe, said Cop-ping.
Outward signs of change show in
renovation and construction either
planned or under way, he said.
Much of the renovation is of a
priority nature, he added. It is re-quired
now because funds for main-tenance
and upgrading were not
available in the past, he explained.
Planned or completed, it is mostly
basic, he explained, such as lowering
and replacing ceilings, replacing
lighting and electrical works in J-Wing
(patient care area), and re-placing
hospital flooring.
It also involves installing new radi-ology
equipment, remodeling clinic
areas, and expanding Central Medi-cal
Supply and the neonatal and
renal dialysis units. Included are
elevator automation and air-condi-tioning.
Construction of the 10-story wing
at an estimated cost of $20 million is
scheduled to begin soon, he said. The
new $2 million burn/trauma center
will go under construction this sum-mer.
The burn/trauma center will be "a
great asset," because North Louisi-ana
does not now have one, Copping
said.
The new wing will contain delivery
rooms, surgical suites, patient
rooms, and support services. Plans
are to totally renovate J-Wing once
the new wing is finished.
Copping said renovation and build-ing
plans began before the merger,
but have accelerated since. All are
aimed at bringing LSU up to univer-
LSU HOSPITALrSHREVEPORT
Comparative Statistics
*Beds
Total admissions
Pediatrics
admissions
Neonatal intensive
care admissions
In-patient days
Births
Surgical procedures
Out-patient visits
+Cardiac surgeries
+Burn cases
-(-Cardiac
catheterizations
Physical therapy
cases:
4-Out-patient
"In-patient
"The complement of beds reduced
major renovations in hospital.
+Calendar year statistics
"Statistics for calendar year 1979
1975-76
435
14,843
1,905
343
106,592
3,040
4,786
204,436
128
I
45
1,604
from 650 beginning in
1978-79
506
16.215
2,136
659
129,824
3,477
5,711
243,017
92
115
68
1,763
10,047
1975-76 as result of
sity hospital standards, he said.
Improvements in delivery of pa-tient
care can be seen in an overview
and in specific areas, as well as in
expanded programs and professional
expertise, Copping said.
In his review of clinical services,
he noted changes and that have
occurred since the LSU system as-sumed
control. He said they, too,
reflect improvement.
Efforts to eliminate unnecessarily
long waits in the walk-in clinic con-tinue,
he said. In the past year, they
have been intensified. But in light of
the patient load, he expected some
waiting would always be necessary.
Last year, there were a quarter of a
million patient visits, he noted.