The fist bump shared by Dr. José Wiley (left) and Dr. Harry Roach (right) is emblematic of the collaboration present at East Jefferson General Hospital under the Tulane-LCMC Health partnership. Photos provided by LCMC Health

In New Orleans health care news, the major headline of 2022 was a year-end announcement that Tulane University and LCMC Health would join forces to expand access to care across South Louisiana, spur research into treatments and cures, and enhance the training of the next generation of physicians and other vital health care professionals.

Tulane President Michael A. Fitts and LCMC Health CEO Greg Feirn delivered the news, promising to bring the best of community health care and academic medicine to Greater New Orleans and beyond. In January 2025, the partnership marked its official one-year anniversary.

Tulane Medical Center, Lakeview Regional Medical Center and Tulane Lakeside Hospital had finalized the decision to join LCMC Health in January 2023. The integration of Tulane’s facilities with LCMC Health took place over the ensuing months with a core component of the partnership — the addition of Tulane Medical Center staff and services to East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH) — completed in January 2024.

“This partnership is bringing wide-ranging benefits to New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana by expanding access to comprehensive and specialty care for our community members,” said Fitts. “At the same time, it is advancing academic medicine and boosting innovation, discovery and medical training in the region. It also represents a major investment in our area that creates well-paying jobs and ensures an enduring positive impact on the local economy.”

Feirn agreed, saying the milestone is a testament to the power of collaboration and shared commitment to provide extraordinary care. “By bringing together the strengths of LCMC Health and Tulane University, we’ve enhanced access, expanded services and created a stronger foundation for our communities’ health and well-being,” Feirn said. “We are incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together in just one year and look forward to continuing to grow and serve with excellence.”

One need only visit EJGH to see the host of services that Tulane has brought to the Metairie hospital. The $216 million investment includes four new critical care units, eight new operating rooms, 15 new clinics and three newly renovated interventional procedure rooms, which are equipped to perform minimally invasive procedures guided by imaging technologies. The workforce has grown as well, with 1,900 medical providers on staff, up by 300 percent, and more than 500 residents and fellows.

The four new critical care units include the Tulane Transplant Institute, where kidney, liver and pancreas transplants have been performed at EJGH for the first time. Later this year, the hospital will open the new and highly anticipated Heart and Lung Transplant Center.

“We have new services that were not here previously,” said Greg Nielsen, EJGH’s chief executive officer. “We are supercharged. We have a very clear, bright and exciting future with this partnership.”

Patients can also expect advanced cardiovascular and pulmonary services. “We handpicked the best faculty available to provide the best possible care to our patients,” said Dr. José Wiley, chair of cardiovascular medicine at Tulane Medical School and chair of cardiovascular services at EJGH. “We’ve added new devices, new approaches and new techniques. We’re providing the latest cutting-edge technology for our patients, whereas in the past, we weren’t able to provide that.”

As a result, he said, EJGH and the other LCMC Health hospitals are treating more patients from the New Orleans area, Louisiana and the Gulf South region.

Dr. Lee Hamm, dean of the Tulane School of Medicine, listed several other accomplishments that have made the partnership so successful. They include a new cutting-edge electronic medical records system, educational spaces for residents and students, and the convenience of calling one number — 504-988-5000 — to get an appointment with a Tulane physician.

“Our partnership with LCMC Health and EJGH marks a transformative chapter for Tulane Medicine, strengthening our clinical programs and unlocking new opportunities for collaboration and advancement,” said Hamm. “Together, we are shaping a future of medical innovation and comprehensive care that will profoundly impact our community and beyond.”

In addition to the Heart and Lung Transplant Center, plans for 2025 include opening a new 54-bed emergency department, adding new operating rooms and increasing surgery capability. Plans are also underway for EJGH to become a Level 2 trauma center, which would offer high-quality care for most trauma cases.

“The partnership has resulted in improved access to care for our community and broader region and is leveraging synergies to improve quality of care and outcomes for all patients we serve,” said Dr. Aaron Dumont, associate dean and vice president of clinical affairs at the Tulane School of Medicine and co-chair of the Neuroscience Line at LCMC Health. “In addition, the partnership has created new, groundbreaking research efforts including the availability of innovative clinical trials to improve the care of our patients of tomorrow.”

Dumont said the partnership is also advancing the training of future generations of doctors, nurses and other health care team members, through innovative and coveted education programs for students, residents and fellows.

Dr. Sarah Bond is among the Tulane Internal Medicine chief residents and has worked at EJGH as both a resident and attending physician. She said the partnership has allowed Tulane residents to serve a new community in the Greater New Orleans area and has provided facilities that enable the expansion of sub-specialty programs such as heart failure and transplant services.

“It has also allowed us to work with private EJGH consultant teams, which gives residents exposure to how private practice medicine operates,” said Bond.

Kim Peters, CEO of the Tulane University Medical Group, said, “Building on the proud tradition of EJGH, the LCMC Health-Tulane Medicine partnership merges world-class research and education to shape the next generation of physicians — all while honoring the community physicians that have made EJGH so exceptional to date.”

“Although in a nascent stage, the Tulane-LCMC Health partnership is poised to create an indelible, impactful legacy for our local community, region and beyond,” said Dumont. “We share tremendous excitement for our future and what we can achieve together.”