HJNO Sep/Oct 2025

30 SEP / OCT 2025  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Healthcare Briefs the managed care organizations the state pays to deliver Medicaid offerings. For its analysis, the Louisiana Legislative Audi- tor’s staff also used obituaries and identified 511 dead Medicaid beneficiaries the state missed in its reviews. Payouts to managed care organiza- tions for this group totaled $5.22 million over the six-year period, and the median time between the beneficiary’s death and the most recent monthly payout to their managed care provider was more than 20 months. Auditors found 168 more deceased Medicaid beneficiaries through the Social Security Admin- istration’s Death Master File, a source the state health department has not used. The median time between the beneficiary’s death and the lat- est payment in this group was almost 800 days, according to the audit. The Legislative Auditor recommended the Lou- isiana Department of Health determine whether it should use third-party data sources as part of its eligibility determination process to iden- tify deceased Medicaid beneficiaries. Out of the $9.6 million Louisiana paid for Medicaid services never provided, the audit identified $7.6 million through third-party sources. The health department was presented with the auditor’s findings in May. In June, approximately $4 million in state payments to Medicaid man- aged care organizations were to be withheld to recoup part of the money paid on behalf of dead beneficiaries, the audit report said. The Louisiana Illuminator article this news brief was taken from was shortened for space. To read the full article, go to: https://lailluminator. com/2025/08/12/dead-medicaid/ LSUHealth Foundation Announces Rob Allen as Vice President, Chief Advancement Officer Rob Allen has been appointed vice president and chief advancement officer of the LSU Health Foundation. Allen brings with him more than two decades of leadership in higher education advancement and fundraising. Prior to joining the foundation, Allen served as associate vice president for devel- opment at the University of Virginia. He also held senior advancement roles at Tulane University. In his new role, Allen will lead the foundation’s advancement strategy, build donor relation- ships, and strengthen collaboration across the LSU Health community to accelerate support for health education, research innovation, and patient care. Houma Surgi-Center and Urology Clinic is NowTerrebonne General Urology Care Terrebonne General Health System’s Houma Surgi-Center and Urology Clinic is now operat- ing under a new name: Terrebonne General Urol- ogy Care. While the clinic’s name has changed, its location and staff remain unchanged. Located at 1020 School Street in Houma, Ter- rebonne General Urology Care continues to provide urologic services to the community. All existing appointments and services will continue without interruption, and no action is required from patients due to the name change. $20.3 Million NIHRenewal Boosts Louisiana Biomedical Research Network The Louisiana Biomedical Research Network (LBRN), administered by the Division of Biotech- nology & Molecular Medicine (BioMMeD) at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, has been awarded a five-year, $20.3 million renewal grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research in the United States. Established in 2001, the LBRN is a statewide program dedicated to enhancing faculty devel- opment, student training, and research infra- structure across Louisiana’s public and private institutions. Over the past two decades, LBRN has played a vital role in fostering collaborative research, advancing STEM education, expand- ing opportunities for students from high school, undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral lev- els, and faculty development at primarily under- graduate institutions (PUI) throughout Louisiana. In addition to the NIH funding, LBRN has secured approximately $1.91 million in matching and cost-sharing support from state and institu- tional partners, including: • $1.2 million over five years from the Louisi- ana Board of Regents. • $100,000 each from Pennington Biomed- ical Research Center, LSU Health New Orleans, LSU Health Shreveport, and Tulane University. • $30,000 each from seven primarily under- graduate institutions (PUIs) to support undergraduate summer research and infra- structure, totaling $210,000. • Nearly $100,000 from LSU School of Veteri- nary Medicine. University Medical Center NewOrleans Launches First Responder Clinic University Medical Center (UMC) New Orleans is proud to announce the launch of a new program, specifically designed to support our first responders by providing them specialized, expedited care. This initiative is dedicated to prioritizing care for members of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), New Orleans Fire Department (NOFD), New Orleans Emergency Medical Services (NOEMS), Orleans Parish Communication District (OPCD), and Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office (OPSO). The First Responder Clinic will be housed at UMC’s Primary Care Building at 2003 Tulane Ave. in New Orleans. The main goal of the program is to prioritize and streamline access to services for first responders, ensuring they receive the attention they need promptly. n Rob Allen