The Department of General Internal Medicine (GIM) at Ochsner is one of the largest academic general internal medicine divisions in the Gulf South. We have more than 70 internal medicine physicians providing primary care services throughout four regions: South Shore, North Shore, West Bank and Baton Rouge. Our doctors focus on diagnosing and treating adults 18 years of age and older. Additionally, our internists are specially trained to solve complex diagnostic problems and manage chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension. Overall, the Ochsner Internal Medicine Department is dedicated to providing the most current, evidence-based medical care through focusing on the best clinical practices, education and research in a warm and inviting atmosphere conducive to the well-being of our patients.
Here When You Need Us
- Ochsner is the only local healthcare system that schedules doctor’s appointments 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information, call 504- 842-3155 or toll free at 1-866-624-7637.
- Each Ochsner Primary Care Office offers same day/next day appointments for patients with urgent healthcare concerns.
- Ochsner On Call is a special service that provides health education and advisory services after hours, seven days a week. Our registered nurses are waiting on the line to discuss your healthcare concerns and to help determine if your symptoms require a trip to the emergency room or a visit to a physician. They’ll even offer appropriate self-care techniques. This service is free and can be reached by calling 504- 842-3155 or toll free at 1-800-231-5257.
Basic Services
- Teaching our patients about wellness and disease prevention.
- Providing urgent care and care for chronic problems, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
- Scheduling, reviewing and interpreting diagnostic tests.
- Coordinating other medical specialists, as needed, and consulting on your general care.
- Providing prescription refills and pharceutical consults.
- Overseeing hospital and emergency room follow-up care.
- Recommending adult preventative health screenings. Click here to view our most current offerings organized by age range.
- Facilitating electronic medical records. That means your medical records will be and are available from any Ochsner location on the map. This allows for the most consistent patient care, both for routine health needs and more complex medical conditions.
Patient Satisfaction
Ochsner Health System measures patient satisfaction results to identify ways to become even better at meeting patients’ expectations, while providing the best care possible in a safe and comfortable environment. As a patient receiving care at Ochsner Health System, you may receive a survey asking you about our care and service. Your thoughts and experiences are critical in helping us make the changes necessary to provide the healthcare experience you have come to expect. If you receive a survey, we encourage you to take the time to share your opinions with us.
From Yesterday to Today: Our History
Alton Ochsner was the founding father of the Ochsner Health System and his ideals still guide the hospital and clinic that bear his name. He was a larger-than-life character, a relentless worker, a demanding teacher and a visionary researcher (he railed against smoking long before scientific research quieted skeptics). And although he was a man of exceptional achievements, Alton Ochsner was driven by one priority: the needs of the patient. Today, his values are still at work at Ochsner – a place where personalized, compassionate care comes before everything else. Since those early days, Ochsner Health System has grown to become the largest healthcare system in the region with more than 8,000 employees, including 600 physicians in 80 medical specialties and subspecialties. Ochsner's holdings now include seven hospitals as well as a sub-acute facility and 33 neighborhood health centers throughout South Louisiana. We also have medical centers in Kenner, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Raceland and on the West Bank. These holdings include:
- Ochsner Medical Center, which is located near uptown New Orleans. It houses acute and sub-acute facilities as well as the Ochsner Cancer Institute, Ochsner Multi-Organ Transplant Center and Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute.
- Ochsner Medical Center for Children, our inpatient facility.
- Ochsner Children's Health Center, our ambulatory facility offering comprehensive care for our youngest patients.
- The 158-room Brent House Hotel, which is located on our main campus for the convenience of patients’ families. For more information, please visit our website.
- Elmwood Fitness Center (EFC), which is one of the largest health and fitness centers in the region. With more than 20,000 members, EFC has four locations throughout the local region, including the flagship facility in Harahan, which boasts 160,000 square feet of space. EFC also offers satellite centers in Metairie, Downtown New Orleans and Kenner. For more information, please visit our website.
Ochsner’s Clinical Excellence
Ochsner Health System is a non-profit, academic, multi-specialty, healthcare system. Ochsner strives on its commitment to patient care, education and research. Moreover, our unique, coordinated neighborhood-based system provides healthcare with peace of mind by putting the needs of all patients first. Just consider the following:
- Ochsner continuously meets the ever-changing needs of our patients and community through electronically-linked hospitals and health centers, and that includes medical records.
- Ochsner is the largest private employer in the region with more than 8,000 employees system-wide and a growing list of more than 600 physicians.
- Ochsner’s physicians are experts in 80 medical specialties and sub-specialties.
- Ochsner is one of the only Gulf South, Medicare-approved transplant center for heart, lung, liver, kidney and pancreas.
- Ochsner is an internationally recognized leader in cardiac care and leading researcher in gastrointestinal diseases, diabetes and hypertension.
- Ochsner’s technology-driven emergency rooms are recognized nationwide.
- “Centers of Excellence” include the Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, Ochsner Multi-Organ Transplant Institute and Ochsner Cancer Institute.
- Ochsner houses one of six training centers for Robotic Surgery in the world.
- Ochsner is one of the largest, non-university-based physician training centers in the U.S.
Medical Research and Education
At Ochsner, close collaboration between clinicians and scientists brings medical discoveries from the laboratory to the bedside. Ochsner is a national leader in medical research with 700 ongoing research trials and 200 annual publications in medical literature.
Achievements and Awards
Ochsner Health System was recently recognized by several groups for superlative care and performance. Here are just a few of the accomplishments Ochsner has achieved:
- Ochsner Medical Center, located at 1514 Jefferson Highway, received “Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Services” from the American Nursing Credentialing Center.
- Voted "Best Place to Work" by New Orleans City Business magazine in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
- Ochsner Health System has been named one of AARP's “Best Employers for Workers over 50” for two consecutive years.
- Ochsner was listed as a “Top 50 Hospital” by U.S. News & World Report magazine in July 2007.
- For 12 consecutive years, Ochsner has been awarded the “Consumers Choice Award” by the National Research Corporation, which identifies the most preferred hospitals.
- Modern Healthcare magazine recognized Ochsner’s organizational success in being one of the “Top 100 Integrated Healthcare Networks.”
- Ochsner’s Emergency Department has been named Press Ganey’s “Success Story” for high patient satisfaction scores every year since 2003.
- Ochsner successfully passed a competitive accreditation process by Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, which gauges a health system’s quality of care and patient safety.
- Ochsner was included on the American Hospital Association's "Most Wired" list in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
