Ochsner Health, Select Medical to Open New Rehab Hospital

JEFFERSON, La. — Ochsner Health System (Ochsner), based in Jefferson, and Select Medical Corporation of Mechanicsburg, Pa., will jointly open a new, 60-bed, acute inpatient rehabilitation hospital in 2016.

Officials at both health networks did not say where the hospital — to be called the Ochsner Rehabilitation Hospital — will be located or how much it will cost, but construction is expected to begin in early 2016.

The strategic partnership creates a limited liability company between Ochsner and Select Medical. Ochsner serves patients from across Louisiana, every state in the nation and more than 90 different countries. Select Medical provides specialized health care, including inpatient rehabilitation services. The new partnership will initially focus on managing Ochsner’s current acute rehab services provided in a 29-bed unit, which is licensed separately as a hospital, within the Ochsner Medical Center-Elmwood Campus.

Once fully operational, Ochsner Rehabilitation Hospital is expected to employ 180 therapists, nurses and other specialists. This new inpatient rehabilitation hospital will offer advanced treatments for patients with spinal cord and brain injuries, stroke, amputation, neurological disorders, and musculoskeletal and orthopedic conditions. Select Medical currently has 17 inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in its network, many of which are part of similar joint ventures with major health care or academic systems.

“Part of serving as a national destination for health care is ensuring that patients and their families have access to the right setting for the right outcome, and that’s especially true when acute rehabilitation is needed,” said Warner Thomas, president and CEO, Ochsner Health System, in a statement. “For Ochsner, it also means finding the right partner in Select Medical. Together, our shared commitment to patient safety and high-quality outcomes will benefit Louisiana for years to come.”

“We plan to build on the great success Ochsner already achieves for patients in need of physical rehabilitation,” added David S. Chernow, president and CEO, Select Medical, in a statement. “People want continued access to top-level care, and by partnering with a great provider like Ochsner, they are going to have it. Ochsner Rehabilitation Hospital will serve the growing need for inpatient rehabilitation in and around New Orleans. We look forward to a long partnership to help people in Louisiana rebuild lives.”