When you join Ochsner Health, you become part of the largest nonprofit healthcare system in Louisiana and the Gulf South region. Founded in 1942 when Dr. Alton Ochsner and four fellow physicians opened New Orleans' first multi-specialty group practice, Ochsner has grown from a single clinic into a healthcare network spanning 47 hospitals and more than 370 health and urgent care centers across Louisiana, Mississippi, and the broader Gulf South.
The system's flagship facility, Ochsner Medical Center in Jefferson (New Orleans metro area), serves as the hub of clinical excellence with 786 licensed beds and a team of over 10,800 employees at the main campus alone. System-wide, more than 40,000 dedicated team members and 4,900 employed and affiliated physicians work together to deliver care that has earned consistent national recognition. In 2024, Ochsner cared for 1.6 million patients from every state in the nation and 63 countries.
Ochsner Medical Center (including its Baptist and West Bank campuses) has been named the Best Hospital in Louisiana by U.S. News & World Report for 14 consecutive years. This sustained recognition reflects a commitment to measurable quality outcomes, patient safety, and clinical excellence that you will experience daily in your practice.
The nursing teams at Ochsner have earned the American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet designation four times, placing the organization in the top 1% of hospitals nationwide for nursing excellence. Six specialty programs rank in the nation's top 10%: gastroenterology and GI surgery, geriatrics, pulmonology and lung surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, and urology. For the past eight years, Ochsner Children's Hospital has been ranked among the top 50 children's hospitals in the United States.
Ochsner's organizational culture is defined by a clear mission: Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate, and Innovate. This five-word commitment guides every clinical decision and administrative choice across the system. The vision of Inspiring Healthier Lives and Stronger Communities reflects the organization's dual focus on individual patient outcomes and population health.
Six core values shape daily interactions and clinical practice: Patients First, Always Act with Integrity, Approach Every Experience with Compassion, Inclusivity Inspires Us to Do Our Best, Excellence Is an Ongoing Journey, and Teamwork Makes Us Stronger. These values translate into specific behaviors that you will observe throughout the organization, from how colleagues communicate during shift changes to how complex cases are discussed in multidisciplinary conferences.
As Louisiana's largest academic medical center outside the university system, Ochsner offers physicians meaningful opportunities to teach, conduct research, and advance subspecialty expertise. The system currently conducts over 700 clinical trials, providing patients access to emerging therapies while giving physicians the opportunity to participate in research that shapes future standards of care.
The UQ-Ochsner Clinical School, a partnership with the University of Queensland in Australia, brings international medical students to New Orleans for their clinical training. Graduate Medical Education programs span multiple specialties, and the system's commitment to continuing medical education ensures that practicing physicians have access to the latest clinical knowledge. The Ochsner-Xavier Institute for Health Equity and Research focuses specifically on addressing health disparities in the communities served.
Ochsner's centers of excellence bring together nationally and internationally recognized experts in their fields. The Heart & Vascular Institute offers the full scope of cardiac care from diagnosis through transplant for both children and adults. The Ochsner Transplant Institute performs kidney, liver, lung, and heart transplants, drawing patients from across the region and nation.
The Ochsner Neuroscience Institute, cancer services, orthopedic services, and robotic surgery programs represent additional areas where the system has invested in subspecialty expertise, advanced technology, and multidisciplinary care models. Primary care services anchor the system's community presence, connecting patients to specialty care when needed while managing chronic conditions and preventive health.
Ochsner operates on the Epic electronic health record system, providing seamless documentation, order entry, and care coordination across all system facilities. The organization has invested significantly in telehealth capabilities and digital medicine programs, expanding access for patients in rural and underserved areas while creating flexible practice opportunities for physicians.
The flagship campus features the Optimal Hospital concept in its West Tower, incorporating evidence-based design elements to enhance patient safety. Recent capital investments have modernized facilities throughout the system, ensuring that physicians have access to current diagnostic and treatment technologies.
Ochsner serves a diverse patient population reflecting the demographics of the Gulf South region. The flagship facility's payor mix includes approximately 18% Medicare, 13% Medicaid, and 68% commercial and self-pay patients. This balanced payor composition contributes to organizational financial stability while ensuring access to care for patients across the economic spectrum.
The system's referral network extends throughout Louisiana and Mississippi, with patients traveling from across the nation for specialty care at the New Orleans campus. This regional and national draw creates clinical variety while maintaining strong community connections.
Joining Ochsner Health means becoming part of an organization with eight decades of history, national recognition for quality, and a genuine commitment to the communities it serves. The combination of clinical volume, subspecialty depth, academic resources, and organizational stability creates an environment where physicians can build meaningful careers while delivering care that meets the highest standards.
