Louisiana-based LCMC Health will acquire three Louisiana hospitals from HCA Healthcare as part of a larger plan to partner with Tulane University to provide care across Southeast Louisiana.
If the partnership is approved by state regulators, HCA’s Tulane Medical Center, Lakeview Regional Medical Center and Tulane Lakeside Hospital will become part of LCMC Health, the systems announced Monday.
LCMC Health currently operates six hospitals in the New Orleans area. Together, LCMC and Tulane plan to expand academic medicine in the New Orleans area, Tulane University President Michael Fitts said in a statement.
As part of the deal, LCMC plans to invest $220 million in LCMC’s East Jefferson General Hospital and HCA’s Lakeview Regional Medical Center and Tulane Lakeside Hospital.
Over the next two years, the majority of services provided at HCA’s Tulane Medical Center will shift to nearby East Jefferson General Hospital and University Medical Center New Orleans.
“This shift will increase access to comprehensive care in downtown New Orleans and create expanded hubs for specialty care, innovation, and academic medicine in both Orleans and Jefferson Parishes,” the two said in a statement.
LCMC and Tulane expect the agreement to be finalized late this year or early next. The two have filed an intent to transition into a combined structure with Louisiana Department of Justice, a review process that will take at least 90 days.
The deal leaves HCA with one remaining Louisiana hospital, Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria, about three hours northwest of New Orleans.