New Orleans hospital decision in the works

Louisiana officials should by the end of the legislative session conclude their discussions about the size and scope of the proposed teaching hospital in downtown New Orleans. Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration and Louisiana State University have hired additional consultants to review a previous business assessment that calls for a 484-bed facility. Jindal has expressed doubts that the hospital should be that large, though neither he nor members of the state's Health and Hospitals Secretary suggested what would fit in New Orleans. Levine has also questioned the projected $1.2 billion cost of the project, noting that other teaching hospitals have much lower per-bed costs.