The acquisition of the year
They say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and CEO Greg Feirn said LCMC Health is coming out of 2020 stronger than ever.
A nonprofit network of hospitals and urgent care centers, LCMC has been serving the Greater New Orleans area since Feirn led its creation back in 2009. He has served as CEO since 2014.
As of November 2020, LCMC had treated approximately 2,500 COVID-19 positive patients, hundreds of whom required intensive care. Despite a new spike in cases at year’s end, Feirn feels the system was well prepared.
“We have a lot of improvements in our clinical protocols, especially for intensive care patients,” he reported. “We are better able to manage our PPE. We’ve learned how to share staff when needed and to balance our patient loads.”
The biggest news of the year for LCMC was adding East Jefferson General Hospital to the network at the end of September. As a publicly owned asset, the acquisition required approval from Jefferson Parish residents and 95% voted to approve.
“A lot of this was about community,” Feirn said. “We had hospitals everywhere except East Jefferson, so this positions us well across the entire greater New Orleans community. It also continues the growth of our academic partnerships with LSU and Tulane.”
Several other new practices arose during the pandemic that Feirn said will continue long after it’s gone.
“We saw 3,000 to 4,000 telehealth patients annually pre-COVID-19, and that number will be over 100,000 by the end of the year,” he said. “This has changed how we’ve looked at creating access for patients in general. Telehealth offers easier access for patients, saves the providers time, and helps keep people out of what might be a costly visit to the emergency room.”
Feirn said he is particularly proud of the teamwork displayed by the system’s 12,500 staff members throughout the year. In gratitude, LCMC implemented “Operation Bon Appetit,” which gave each employee a $100 gift card redeemable at local restaurants.
“Folks in greater New Orleans know what it’s like to come together as a team and work through problems,” he said. “Our experiences this year have created a culture that will continue beyond the pandemic.”
