HLS 11RS-1093 ORIGINAL
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Regular Session, 2011
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 116
BY REPRESENTATIVE HARRISON
HEALTH: Urges and requests the Dept. of Health and Hospitals and LSU Board of
Supervisors to conduct a study assessing the current and future delivery of health
care and medical education in La. and to make recommendations
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON1
To urge and request the Department of Health and Hospitals and the Louisiana State2
University (LSU) Board of Supervisors to study the existing structure and delivery3
of care within the LSU hospital system managed by the LSU Health Sciences4
Centers at New Orleans and Shreveport to determine whether the hospital5
infrastructure, including the planned academic medical center in New Orleans, meets6
the current needs of our state population and the projected needs of our state once7
federal health reform is implemented; to study the monetary feasibility of sustaining8
Louisiana's public hospital system once federal health reform is implemented and to9
recommend the most cost-effective and efficient system of health care delivery in the10
future; to study the system of medical education in Louisiana, taking into11
consideration the geographic locations of the medical schools; to determine whether12
the current and planned infrastructure is the most efficient and cost-effective method13
to train an adequate number of physicians to practice statewide; to study the14
feasibility of establishing a medical school at the Pennington Biomedical Research15
Center; and to report these findings to the House and Senate committees on health16
and welfare no later than December 15, 2011.17
WHEREAS, there have been major geographic shifts in the population of Louisiana18
since the Charity Hospital system was first created, as well as dramatic changes in the policy19
guiding health care delivery over the past few decades; and20 HLS 11RS-1093 ORIGINAL
HCR NO. 116
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WHEREAS, the recently enacted federal health reform legislation will drastically1
decrease the number of uninsured people in Louisiana, shrinking the population of patients2
which has been traditionally served by the LSU hospital system along with the system's3
Medicaid Disproportionate Share dollars; and4
WHEREAS, the federal health reform legislation is projected to exacerbate the5
physician shortage due to the influx of new insured patients in the health care system; and6
WHEREAS, over the last few years, the population of the metropolitan Baton Rouge7
area has greatly increased, and with it, a demand for more physicians; and8
WHEREAS, the new academic medical center, which is planned for construction in9
New Orleans, has been projected to cost one billion two hundred million dollars and add four10
hundred twenty-four licensed beds to the New Orleans region; and11
WHEREAS, it is important to ascertain whether the New Orleans metropolitan area12
has the population to sustain another large hospital or whether it is more feasible for the state13
to contract with other nonstate health facilities to provide health care services to the indigent14
population, similar to the agreement between Earl K. Long Hospital and Our Lady of the15
Lake Regional Medical Center; and 16
WHEREAS, the Pennington Biomedical Center in Baton Rouge is a leading research17
institution, with laboratories, existing inpatient and outpatient clinics, and a team of expert18
scientists and physicians representing such specialties as molecular biology, genomics and19
proteomics, neuroanatomy, and other areas of expertise that Louisiana could build upon in20
order to train the number of physicians required to serve the population once federal health21
reform is implemented.22
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby23
urge and request the Department of Health and Hospitals and the Louisiana State University24
(LSU) Board of Supervisors to study the existing structure and delivery of care within the25
LSU hospital system managed by the LSU Health Sciences Centers at New Orleans and26
Shreveport to determine whether the hospital infrastructure, including the planned academic27
medical center in New Orleans, meets the current needs of our state population and the28
projected needs of our state once federal health reform is implemented; to study the29
monetary feasibility of sustaining Louisiana's public hospital system once federal health30 HLS 11RS-1093 ORIGINAL
HCR NO. 116
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reform is implemented and, if feasibility is questioned, to recommend the most cost-effective1
and efficient system of health care delivery in the future; to study the system of medical2
education in Louisiana, taking into consideration the geographic locations of the medical3
schools; to determine whether the current and planned infrastructure is the most efficient and4
cost-effective method to train an adequate number of physicians to practice statewide; and5
to study the feasibility of establishing a medical school at the Pennington Biomedical6
Research Center.7
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a report of these findings be submitted to the8
House and Senate committees on health and welfare no later than December 15, 2011.9
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be submitted to the10
secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals and the chair of the LSU Board of11
Supervisors.12
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
Harrison HCR No. 116
Urges and requests the Dept. of Health and Hospitals and the La. State University (LSU)
Board of Supervisors to study the existing structure and delivery of care within the LSU
hospital system managed by the LSU Health Sciences Centers at New Orleans and
Shreveport to determine whether the hospital infrastructure, including the planned academic
medical center in New Orleans, meets the current needs of our state population and the
projected needs of our state once federal health reform is implemented; to study the
monetary feasibility of sustaining La.'s public hospital system once federal health reform is
implemented and to recommend the most cost-effective and efficient system of health care
delivery in the future; to study the system of medical education in La., taking into
consideration the geographic locations of the medical schools; to determine whether the
current and planned infrastructure is the most efficient and cost-effective method to train an
adequate number of physicians to practice statewide; to study the feasibility of establishing
a medical school at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center; and to report these findings
to the House and Senate committees on health and welfare no later than Dec. 15, 2011.