Federal regulators haven't decided on LSU charity hospital deals

Though most of LSU's charity hospitals and clinics have been turned over to private managers, federal officials still haven't decided whether they'll agree to the financing plans that are being used to pay the new hospital operators. Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration expressed confidence the deals will gain approval from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, known as CMS, but said these types of complex arrangements take time. CMS isn't talking about how far apart the two sides are in negotiating final terms. Privatization deals have taken effect for seven university hospitals and their clinics, with two more pending.