East Jefferson General Hospital is now affiliated with M. D. Anderson Physicians Network. To EJGH, affiliate status means access to evidence-based treatment protocols, credentialing guidelines and treatment processes, developed by The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, the nation’s leader in cancer care.

To EJGH physicians, affiliation means access to M. D. Anderson expertise via regularly scheduled video-conferencing with colleagues in Houston. This process means EJGH cancer patients benefit from having their cases reviewed by a multidisciplinary team that may include physicians at M. D. Anderson. 

To East Jefferson General Hospital’s Oncology, Radiology and Surgical Departments, affiliation means validation of the comprehensive care they have always provided. The affiliation process is a lengthy and arduous one. Few hospitals have the systems, staff, and history of success needed to pass. EJGH has long been a regional leader in the areas of cancer diagnosis and treatment.

To EJGH patients, affiliation represents new hope for cancer care. With more than 100 detailed regimens for the diagnosis and treatment of almost every type and stage of cancer, our affiliation with Physicians Network gives EJGH the tools necessary to provide a broad range of cancer services to the residents of Southeastern Louisiana, close to important support systems, such as family, friends and primary physicians. With this affiliation, local patients will also have access to M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, when appropriate.

For M. D. Anderson Physicians Network, adding EJGH to their list of affiliate hospitals means helping to elevate the level of cancer care in our community.  Together, EJGH and Physicians Network will monitor adherence to clinical practice guidelines, for the purpose of maintaining “best practices” in treating local cancer patients. In doing so, EJGH is able to combine the best of what we do locally with the expertise of M. D. Anderson.  Our goal is that each new cancer patient at EJGH will benefit from the wide body of knowledge, experience and expertise contained within the M. D. Anderson Physicians Network program. 

“M. D. Anderson Physicians Network is very pleased to affiliate with East Jefferson Hospital in a program to offer comprehensive and integrated cancer care in the New Orleans area. East Jefferson General Hospital and its medical staff are committed to providing excellence in the care of cancer patients and we are excited by the opportunity to assist them in these efforts in a major metropolitan center,” says David G. Tubergen, MD, and Medical Director of M. D. Anderson Physicians Network.

For Southeastern Louisiana, affiliation represents, perhaps, the largest victory in healthcare our area has ever seen. Local patients will now have access to EJGH physicians who are credentialed through M. D. Anderson Physicians Network and follow M. D. Anderson’s disease management guidelines for treating cancer.  This is a plus for our community. 

We expect to raise not only the standard of cancer care, but also our reputation and the sense of pride felt by businesses and residents in our region.  We hope that our affiliation with Physicians Network will be mentioned when our economic developers go recruiting companies and individuals to our community. The impact on the collective psyche of our residents is potentially significant. Less than three years removed from the worst natural disaster in our nation’s history, the region is still trying to identify successes we can “hang our hats on.” This affiliation represents exactly that kind of win.