Healthcare System Overview

An In-Depth Look into the Healthcare System

Willis-Knighton Health is the dominant healthcare system in the Shreveport-Bossier City region and one of the largest independent, not-for-profit health systems in Louisiana. With more than 100 years of continuous service and a footprint spanning four acute care hospitals, a dedicated rehabilitation hospital, 150+ clinics, and a senior living community, WK functions as the primary healthcare infrastructure for northwest Louisiana and the broader Ark-La-Tex region.

System Snapshot

History

Tri-State Sanitarium opened in 1924, founded by Drs. T.E. Williams and L.H. Pirkle on Greenwood Road in west Shreveport. It was a deliberate step outside the traditional hospital cluster near downtown, designed to serve a rapidly growing suburban and industrial corridor. In 1928 the facility was sold to Drs. James C. Willis and Joseph E. Knighton, who expanded it into Tri-State Hospital.

In 1950 the organization converted from physician ownership to a not-for-profit structure. The board of trustees renamed it in 1951 in memory of Drs. Willis and Knighton. Over the next seven decades the system grew from a single community hospital into a regional healthcare anchor, with innovations that regularly reached beyond Louisiana.

Jaf Fielder became president and CEO in 2021, only the third chief executive in the organization's history. WK's leadership continuity is widely cited as a factor in the system's stability and long-term strategic consistency.

System Firsts

• First satellite hospital in Louisiana
• First community/academic medical center collaboration in the region
• First hospice program in North Louisiana
• First NICU with individual patient rooms
• First community proton therapy center in the world
• Innovation center with virtual hospital capabilities
• Medical museum

Hospitals and Campuses

• Willis-Knighton Medical Center (main campus, Greenwood Road) — flagship acute care hospital; cardiac, surgical, and subspecialty services
• Willis-Knighton South and the Center for Women's Health (Bert Kouns) — women's services, Level III NICU, PICU, pediatric subspecialties, OB-ED
• Willis-Knighton Bossier — acute care serving the Bossier City market
• Willis-Knighton Pierremont — acute care and outpatient services in south Shreveport; neurology, oncology, and orthopedics
• Rehabilitation Hospital — inpatient physical and behavioral rehabilitation; CARF accredited

Key Service Lines

• Cancer Care (WK Cancer Center; world-class radiation oncology; first community proton therapy center in the world)
• Heart and Vascular Institute
• Women's Health and Obstetrics
• Pediatrics and Neonatology
• Neurology and Neurosurgery
• Orthopedics
• Transplant (kidney, liver, pancreas; United Network for Organ Sharing certified)
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Emergency and Trauma Care
• Eye Care and Surgery
• Behavioral Medicine

Academic and Research Affiliations

• LSU Health Shreveport — formal affiliation with three professional schools; resident rotations through WK facilities; 5 active GME residency programs
• Mayo Clinic Care Network — electronic specialist consult with 24-hour turnaround available to all WK physicians
• Clinical Trials — active and growing pharmaceutical trial program; 4 clinical research associates at the Cancer Center; WK ranked second nationally for an international liver cancer trial
• Rural Hospital Affiliates — Claiborne Memorial Medical Center, North Caddo Medical Center, Springhill Medical Center

Accreditations and Certifications (Selected)

• Joint Commission — Behavioral Medicine; Gold Seal Primary Stroke Center (Pierremont, Bossier)
• American College of Surgeons — Cancer Care (Community Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Program); Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program; Surgical Quality Partner
• American College of Radiology — Mammography, MRI, CT, PET, Nuclear Medicine, Radiation Oncology
• Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging — Registered Radiopharmaceutical Therapy Center
• Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) — Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• College of American Pathologists — Laboratory Services
• American Diabetes Association — Outpatient Diabetes Education
• Blue Cross/Blue Shield Blue Distinction — Cardiac Care; Bariatric Surgery; Hip and Knee Replacement (Bossier, Pierremont)
• United Network for Organ Sharing — Kidney, Liver, Pancreas Transplant
• Optum Center of Excellence — Transplant
• Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative — Birth Ready, GIFT designation (multiple campuses)
• American Heart Association/American Stroke Association — Stroke Gold Plus (Pierremont, Bossier)

Mission and Values

Mission: To continuously improve the health and well-being of the people we serve.

Vision: To be the healthcare provider of choice in our region and one of the best healthcare institutions in the nation.

The WK Promise: Together, we will continuously improve care by listening with empathy, caring with compassion, and communicating with respect and clarity, creating a safe and healing experience for our patients, their families, and each other.

Why It Matters to Physicians

WK is the third largest employer in the Shreveport-Bossier region. It holds more than 55% inpatient market share and over 43% outpatient market share in a metropolitan area of approximately 450,000 people. Physicians at WK practice with strong administrative support, choose their own insurance panels, and have access to subspecialty infrastructure, research programs, and a regional referral network that rivals academic centers without the bureaucratic constraints. The system's 100-year track record of independent, not-for-profit governance means physicians join an organization that has not been subject to the consolidation pressures that have reshaped healthcare in most comparable markets.