Jim Montgomery talks to Michelle Rivera about the hardships of getting this organization back in full force after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Thousands of people were severely affected by Hurricane Katrina in September 2005, including dozens of hospitals in New Orleans. One organization in downtown New Orleans, Tulane University Hospital and Clinic, is still recovering from Katrina’s wrath. Interim president Jim Montgomery has been feverishly working to get the hospital back to pre-Katrina status.

Jim Montgomery

Rebuilding process
Tulane University Hospital and Clinic (TUHC) is a combined 300-bed acute care center and ambulatory care teaching facility adjacent to the medical school. It operates as a multi-specialty regional tertiary care center, providing both inpatient and outpatient facilities for the clinical practices of the faculty of Tulane University School of Medicine. More than 100,000 patients per year come to the hospital for evaluation and treatment.

The organization is a joint venture with Hospital Corporation of American (HCA) Healthcare, the nation’s leading provider of healthcare services, composed of locally managed facilities that include approximately 182 hospitals and 94 outpatient surgery centers in 22 states, England, and Switzerland.

Hurricane Katrina left the organization with only 75% of its physicians, but Montgomery hopes to bring on more staff in the next few months. Because TUHC is an academic medical center, the appeal for academic physicians is varied, explained the chief executive. “The organization has a strong reputation as a medical school, with more than 300 residents. Our appeal is to those physicians who are young and want to be a part of the rebuilding process—a massive undertaking,” Montgomery said. “They want strong educational programs.”

To attract and repopulate nurses and skilled workers, the chief executive increased salaries by more than 20% in selected areas and recruited Jamaican natives to fill positions in the organization’s support and environmental services departments. Although these efforts are paying off, Montgomery noted the organization won’t be complete until it adds another 50 nurses.

Before Hurricane Katrina, TUHC employed an estimated 2,200; it now has about 1,500. Out of the 1,500, about 60% of the staff members are returning employees, according to Montgomery. Looking on the bright side, Montgomery said the huge change has enabled the organization to seize the opportunity to form a new culture and open additional beds. “Currently, we have a sustained census of 75% to 80% of what we were before the storm. We’re pushing to have that census above 100% by the end of 2007,” he said.

Moving forward
Shortly after Hurricane Katrina, Montgomery and his team made a decision to temporarily relocate the organization’s clinics to several different locations, decentralizing its downtown location and relieving some pressure. In addition, the organization closed its psychiatric hospital permanently.

The medical school was temporarily moved to Baylor College of Medicine in Houston; students had the opportunity to move back this summer to resume their studies. Although Montgomery said the organization doesn’t currently have the staff to re-open the program completely, efforts are in place to fully restore Tulane University’s academic medical institution within the next few months.

Looking ahead, Montgomery and his team are focusing on strengthening or adding various programs within the organization, such as a women’s breast health program, an oncology service for head and neck cancers, and an expanded digestive disease center. “We’ve had a lot of new capital put into the facility by virtue of damage to the building, so we’re always evaluating our capital needs,” he said.

Solid communications, dedicated teamwork, and the ability to independently solve on-the-spot problems have been key to keeping the organization afloat, explained Montgomery. “There have been too many problems just for senior management to solve. The hospital is only 30 years old, but it’s well established. There have been many emotional pressures the past year and a half, but with solving these problems comes gratification,” he concluded.