• By MARSHA SHULER
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Jun 16, 2009 - Page: 7A

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A top state Senate leader said Monday she has reservations about a proposed public-private partnership that would lead to the closure of LSU’s Earl K. Long Medical Center on Airline Highway in Baton Rouge.

State Senate President Pro Tem Sharon Broome, in whose district the charity hospital sits, made the comment before filing a resolution alerting lawmakers of a potential deal in the works between LSU and Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center on Essen Lane near Interstate 10. The plan would make the Lake home to LSU’s physician-training programs.

“Right now I cannot put my stamp of approval on this,” said Broome, D-Baton Rouge. “Certainly this Our Lady of the Lake merger is one alternative. … I want us to use this opportunity to also look at some other alternatives.”

One of those alternatives could be use of Perkins Road property already owned by LSU and used as an outpatient surgery center to build a smaller, less costly hospital, Broome said.

“I’m just worried we are giving them (OLOL officials) way more than we will actually gain in the process,” said Broome.

Under the proposed arrangement, LSU medical education programs, at Earl K. Long, would be moved to the Lake. Poor and uninsured patients now seen at Earl K. Long would be seen by LSU physicians at the Lake. The north Baton Rouge hospital would close with the conversion.

LSU System Vice President Fred Cerise said he plans to meet with Broome today to discuss her concerns.

“If everybody behaves like everybody indicates they want to behave in this deal, the potential at the Lake is to provide the most services to people and provide the most ability to expand graduate medical education,” said Cerise. But, he said, “It’s a big change, a big leap. I understand it. Believe me.”

Cerise said the specifics — including financing — must be nailed down in a more definitive cooperative endeavor agreement which officials are hoping to have completed by Sept. 30.

Cerise and the Lake’s CEO Scott Wester announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding last week — outlining general parameters of a potential deal.

Broome said when she looks at the $129 million that would still be needed for construction on the Lake’s campus, “there are some other alternatives we could also consider.”

The original new hospital construction plan called for a 200- to 300-bed facility at a cost of $300 million to $400 million, Broome said.

“We have adjusted all of that now and recognize with all these (LSU community) clinics we don’t need that many beds. Perhaps with $129 million we could go back to the drawing board,” said Broome.

After Hurricane Gustav shuttered EKL, operations moved to the old Vista property on Perkins Road, she said.

One possible alternative is expanding at that location, which would allow LSU to retain its authority, she said.

Broome said she also does not like talk of building a separate tower at the Lake for LSU. “I don’t want to go into this separate but equal type of stuff,” she said.

“I’m not fully persuaded yet that the graduate medical education will be fully served at OLOL,” said Broome.

Broome said LSU has received national recognition for its residency, or physician in training, programs, and she doesn’t want anything to interfere with that.

At EKL the biggest challenge is not education or quality of care, it’s the facility, she said.

Hospital and graduate medical education agencies have threatened to yank accreditation because of the poor conditions.

Broome said she is proceeding with the resolution because those accrediting agencies are looking for evidence “we are making a good-faith effort to get out of that building.”

“I applaud LSU for trying to take some progressive steps forward, but I don’t want to see us do anything that minimizes the quality of care or medical education.”

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