Dr. Larry Hollier, chancellor of LSU Medical School, far left, joined the Rotary Club of Crowley Tuesday to discuss LSUs plan to redesign Louisianas hospital system and the impact it will have on the GME. Welcoming him were, from left, Dr. Bo McNeely (program organizer), Alice Whiting (vocational speaker) and Clay Lejeune (club president).

Possibly no numbers showcase that more than the number of beds the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans (MCLNO) had in the 70s until now. In 1970, MCLNO had 1,500 beds; by January, that number will be down to 150.

Numbers like that display the need for reorganization and redesigning how LSU Medical School prepares its students for the future and has led the school to already put plans in place to ensure that the state is putting out great physicians.

Hollier spoke to the Rotary Club of Crowley Tuesday to explain the schools plan on redesigning the states hospital system and the impact on the GME (graduate medical education).

In the future, were going to be better off than we are now, said Hollier.

Hollier painted a picture Tuesday that is far brighter than the gloomy one budget cuts tend to depict. The key for LSU is adaptation.

A key number in its adaptation shows the plan to shift more residents to private hospitals than public ones, to make sure they are getting enough cases to better prepare themselves for life outside of residency.

In its pre-Katrina days, LSU Medical School had about 75 percent of its residents in public hospitals and only 25 percent in private ones. Currently that percentage breakdown is 50-50. After the redesign is complete, Hollier expects the numbers to lie at about 30 percent in public hospitals and 70 percent in private ones.

While many would tend to believe hospitals that have a residents-to-patients ratio lying somewhere between 1.3 to 1.7 residents per patient, which is where LSU is showing hospitals like UMC in Lafayette and so forth sitting currently, is a good thing, Hollier is quick to point out that is not the case for residents trying to equip themselves with knowledge.

For residents, the ratio is far too high for educational purposes, he said.

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LSU’s plan to redesign hospitals, medical schooling