BATON ROUGE (AP) — The leader of the LSU health care system, Frank Opelka, says the privatization of university-run hospitals and clinics has been smoother than he could have imagined. But he says many transition pieces remain to be worked out.

Opelka says the private hospital operators that have taken over services at LSU hospitals across south Louisiana still need to shift the patient billing, appointment and medical records information to their own software.

He says such a transfer is complex, involving lots of detail work to ensure no appointments are dropped and medication lists are correct.

Opelka, LSU vice president for health affairs and medical education redesign, told the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge that the privatization is a better use of health care dollars and has improved care and medical training.

Dr. Frank Opelka

Adam Lau