LSU Execs: Downsizing Leads To Med School Shortage

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — LSU health care executives have told university officials that downsizing throughout the LSU public hospital system creates an $83 million budget shortage in medical school programs.

LSU System Executive Vice President Dr. Frank Opelka said medical school funding relies on revenue from hospital operations. The Advocate reports that Opelka told the LSU board Friday that reductions in bed capacity and services at the hospitals mean less revenue.

The shortage surprised members of the LSU board, who recently approved a plan to cut $150 million from operations of seven LSU hospitals in south Louisiana. Other cuts are under way at the three hospitals in northLouisiana.

The Jindal administration handed nearly $330 million in cuts to LSU hospitals after Congress ordered reductions in federal support for the state's Medicaid program

(Information in the following story is from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com )