Business News

Lafayette General buys Regional Med Center

LGMC, left, and RMCA

Lafayette General Health, the parent company of Lafayette General Medical Center, has announced the purchase of the Regional Medical Center of Acadiana. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

“Because of our success in building a system of local, community-based, hospitals throughout Acadiana, our main tertiary referral facility, LGMC, has reached its capacity for more patients,” says LGH President David L. Callecod in a press release announcing the acquisition. “Acquiring RMCA will allow us to quickly increase our capacity to treat more patients in Lafayette, and give us more time to plan for greater tertiary service expansion at our Oil Center location after we become the region’s official emergency trauma center later this year.”

According to a memo issued to LGH staff by Callecod:

Lafayette General Health has signed an agreement to acquire Regional Medical Center of Acadiana, located on the corner of West Congress Street and Ambassador Caffery Parkway, from HCA MidAmerica, a division of Hospital Corporation of America, based in Nashville, Tenn.

The deal is expected to be complete in the 4th quarter of 2015. Once complete, LGH will own, operate and manage RMCA as an extension of Lafayette General Medical Center. HCA MidAmerica will continue to operate Women’s & Children’s Hospital (WCH) and Lafayette Surgicare.

Under the terms of the agreement, RMCA staff will be extended employment opportunities within the LGH system following an application and pre-employment process.

Because of our success in building a system of local, community-based hospitals throughout Acadiana, LGMC has reached its capacity for more patients. Acquiring RMCA will allow us to quickly increase our capacity to treat more patients in Lafayette, and give us more time to plan for greater tertiary service expansion at our Oil Center location after we become the region’s official Level II emergency trauma center later this year.

Under LGH, the RMCA facility will be renamed “Lafayette General Southwest.” It is licensed for 128 beds.

Our research showed that LGMC needed 100 to 150 beds in the next 5-10 years to keep up with growing demand for hospital services. We need RMCA, their physicians and staff to help LGH care for Acadiana. Lafayette General Southwest can thrive as both an acute and post-acute care facility in order to help LGMC with its capacity issues.

Current LGMC physicians will automatically have their medical staff privileges extended to Lafayette General Southwest. No physicians are required to practice at Lafayette General Southwest unless they choose to do so. Physicians currently practicing at RMCA who do not have privileges at LGMC will have to apply for privileges through the LGMC Medical Staff Office.