LSU Contributes to the Strength of Louisiana Health Care Sector

Despite the recession, the Louisiana health care industry is strong. According to the Louisiana Hospital Association, the health care sector is the largest employer in the state when measured by total payroll expenditures. Approximately 15% of total payroll in the state is attributable to the health care sector.

The economic impact of the Louisiana State University Health Care Services Division (LSU HCSD) has far-reaching impacts on the state. The health system employs 7,200 full-time equivalents and has a total operating budget of nearly $828 million. In 2008, that translated to more than $1.7 billion in overall business activity for Louisiana.

As one of the largest public health care delivery systems in the country, LSU HCSD provides inpatient, outpatient and emergency services for hundreds of thousands of residents. It admits 35,000 patients annually, has more than 1 million outpatient clinic visits and encounters, and has more than 243,000 emergency department encounters. LSU HCSD is the largest single provider of uncompensated inpatient care in Louisiana. The Interim LSU Public Hospital in New Orleans, one of seven LSU HCSD hospitals, has the only Level I Trauma Center in south Louisiana for 200 square miles, and LSU HCSD operates primary care and specialty care clinics throughout south Louisiana.

Mission-driven to care for the uninsured and provide training opportunities for future health professionals, LSU HCSD is a statewide safety net system in which everyone is eligible for care. LSU hospitals, in providing the majority of care to the uninsured patients in the state, support other community facilities by protecting them from a greater share of uncompensated care.