The Shreveport and Monroe metropolitan areas support two medical hubs in North Louisiana, which provide health care for the northern half of the state, east Texas, west Mississippi and southern Arkansas. With 59 hospitals, a medical school and 5,122 beds combined, the healthcare sector in the region employs approximately 25,000 professionals, who have brought national recognition to the region. The healthcare industry is one of the largest employers in North Louisiana and an economic driver for the region. Healthcare in North Louisiana earns high marks in patient satisfaction . An analysis of patient satisfaction of 295 hospital markets by Kaiser Health News ranks the Monroe health care market No. 4 in the nation in patient satisfaction. Rural hospitals in North Louisiana also earn top scores for quality care . Minden Medical Center was named one of the nation's Top 100 Hospitals by Thomson Reuters, a leading provider of information and solutions to improve health care. For a second time, Minden Medical Center was recognized for excellence in clinical outcomes, patient safety, financial performance and operational efficiency.
CHRISTUS Health Shreveport-Bossier , a faith-based, not-for-profit health system, has over 1,800 employees and 600 affiliated physicians, sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate. The health system is among the 20 largest in the nation.
Glenwood Regional Medical Center is a 237-bed acute-care hospital in West Monroe, La., ranked in the Top 10% nationwide for heart surgery by HealthGrades. Through the Heart and Vascular Institute, Glenwood provides comprehensive heart care, including the area's only accredited chest pain center in its emergency department.
St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Monroe, La. (pictured on left) is the largest health system in northeast Louisiana, employing nearly 2,600 employees at three locations. St. Francis has earned multiple awards and accreditations for its top quality programs and supports the only Breast Imaging Center of Excellence in North Louisiana as designated by the American College of Radiology.
Willis-Knighton Health System (pictured on right) is a locally owned and controlled, nationally recognized healthcare provider, headquartered in Shreveport. The heath system offers three full-service acute care hospitals in Shreveport, one in Bossier City and an active adult lifestyle community with independent living, assisted living and total care. Willis-Knighton employs some 6,000 employees on its campuses and in clinics throughout the region.
P & S Surgical Hospital in Monroe, La. (pictured on left) offers top-quality specialty care with 22 beds. This private hospital receives some of the highest patient satisfaction scores, ranking in the 99th percentile in the state and in the nation.
Minden Medical Center (pictured on the right) is a 161-bed acute care hospital, providing health care to 70,000 patients in Webster Parish and surrounding communities. This rural hospital has earned a national reputation as one of the 100 Top Hospitals in 2003 and 2009 by Thomson Reuters. Minden Medical Center is also part of a select and distinguished group of hospitals in the United States to be designated as a Community Value 100TM and Community Value Five-StarTM Provider for 2010.
Vantage Health Plan is a health insurance company, started in 1994 by area doctors in Monroe, La. The company has grown rapidly into a statewide health insurance provider, offering coverage to 23,000 members across more than 50 parishes. The region is also home to the Biomedical Research Foundation , established in 1986 to help grow a knowledge-based regional economy by cultivating and attracting life science enterprises and related technologies. The Foundation works collaboratively with area healthcare institutions, most evident through its PET Imaging Center – the state's and the region’s most experienced PET Imaging organization. The Foundation is also active in growing a local biomedical and healthcare workforce through its many collaborative learning programs with area K-12 schools. The region’s healthcare and life science institutions have established a number of collaborative education and medical programs in order to provide area residents with the most advanced health care options.
Region/Parish
# of Physicians
Ratio per 1,000 Population
# of Dentists
North Louisiana Region
1817
2.71
373
0.45
Shreveport MSA
1383
3.57
204
0.53
Monroe MSA
235
105
0.79
Bienville Parish
3
0.20
2
0.13
Bossier Parish
109
1.01
38
0.35
Caddo Parish
1263
5.00
164
0.65
Claiborne Parish
10
0.61
4
0.25
DeSoto Parish
11
0.42
0.01
Jackson Parish
8
0.49
5
0.3
Lincoln Parish
73
1.72
19
Morehouse Parish
15
0.54
7
Natchitoches Parish
41
1.04
14
Ouachita Parish
230
1.50
102
0.66
Red River Parish
6
0
Sabine Parish
Union Parish
0.22
Webster Parish
37
0.90