Health Central Louisiana
.
Ochsner Recognized for
Outstanding Patient Outcomes
Ochsner Medical Center
on Jefferson
Highway announced its strong patient
outcomes have ranked it among the top
5% in the nation for exceptional care.
HealthGrades
, the nation's leading
independent healthcare ratings organi-
zation, analyzed patient outcomes at
each of the United States’ 5,000 hospi-
tals from 2006-2008 and only 5%, or 269
hospitals, are being recognized with the
HealthGrades Distinguished Hospitals
for Clinical Excellence™ award. The
announcement marks the 8th Annual
Hospital Quality and Clinical Excellence
Study by HealthGrades. This study high-
lights hospitals which have demonstrat-
ed that their patients had risk-adjusted
mortality rates, on average, 29% lower
than all other hospitals and risk-adjusted
complication rates, on average, 9%
lower than all other hospitals. Results
are risk-adjusted, objective data based
on patient outcomes of 26 common
Medicare
inpatient procedures and
diagnoses.
Health Care Quality Conference
Draws 585 Providers to Marksville
More than 585 health care providers
gathered in Marksville, La., on Jan. 21,
2010, to learn critical skills for improving
health care delivered to Louisiana’s eld-
erly. Highlighted were new techniques
for reducing the high incidence of pres-
sure ulcers in Louisiana’s elderly nursing
home and hospital patient populations.
Speakers included:
•
Joyce Black, PhD, DNP, CPSN,
CWCN, FAPWCA
–an associate profes-
sor at the
university of Nebraska
,
College of Nursing, a past president of
the
North American Pressure ulcer
Advisory Panel
and is an advisor for
the International Pressure Ulcer
Prevention and Management
Guidelines. She is also a fellow with the
American Practitioners in Wound
Care Academy
and an internationally
respected researcher and author.
•
Charles Cefalu, MD
,
MS
–the physician
program director of the
LSu Geriatric
Medicine Fellowship
, serves as chair
of the clinical practice committee and on
the clinical practice guideline committee
of the
American Medical Directors
Association
and on the public policy
committee of the
American Geriatrics
Society.
He also serves on the clinical
advisory board for
eQHealth Solutions
,
formerly Louisiana Health Care Review.
•
Myra varnado, RN, BS, CDE,
CWOCN
–the manager of Hyperbarics
and Wound Ostomy Clinical Services for
the
LSu Health System
-New Orleans.
She is the 2009 WOCN Nurse Educator
of the Year and 2009 WOCN President’s
Award recipient, South Central Region
WOCN Society, 2007 WOCN Nurse of
the Year, featured on
Discovery Health
Channel
and is a member of the
National WOCN Wound Guidelines
Panel
2000–2010.
The event was presented by a collabo-
rative of leading health care agencies in
Louisiana, led by eQHealth Solutions,
the
Medicare
QIO for Louisiana and
funded through a grant from the
Louisiana Department of Health and
Hospitals
. The collaborative partners
also include the
Louisiana Hospital
Association
, the
Louisiana Nursing
Home Association
, the
Gulf States
Association of Homes and Services
for the Aging
, and the
Louisiana
Ombudsman Program
.
DHH Launches Haiti
volunteer Resource Web Site
The
Louisiana Department of Health
and Hospitals
has launched
Health
Care Assist
Louisiana
,
www.HealthCareAssistLA.org, as a
resource for those in the health care
community wishing to provide aid to
Haiti. The site serves as a single point of
reference for health care workers, non-
profits and corporations throughout
Louisiana who may wish to donate time,
money, supplies or other resources via
national and international relief organi-
zations following the earthquake and
related health crisis in Haiti. Health Care
Assist Louisiana provides the health
care community a list of agencies,
organizations and corporations accept-
ing financial and material donations, and
volunteers for the recovery work in Haiti.
Some of the resources include the
u.S.
Chamber of Commerce Business
Civic Leadership Center
, the
Center
for International Disaster Information
and the
Clinton Foundation.
Health Care Assist Louisiana also
includes a news section, which will be
updated with the latest information on
how the state is helping the recovery
effort. A “Who’s Helping” page provides
an ongoing list of individuals, compa-
nies, agencies and nonprofits already
engaged in the volunteer efforts who
have reported their work to the state.
NeuroMedical Center Clinic
opens in St. Francisville
The
NeuroMedical Center Clinic
opened its newest Neurosurgery
Satellite Clinic in St. Francisville in
February. Adult and Pediatric
Neurosurgeon
Scott W. Soleau, MD,
with The NeuroMedical Center Clinic in
Baton Rouge will see neurosurgery
patients at this location twice a month.
He specializes in complex spinal surger-
ies and all other neurosurgical proce-
dures involving the brain, spine, and
nervous system.
Dr. Soleau has been with The
NeuroMedical Center Clinic since 2005.
He earned his medical degree from the
university of virginia
and completed
Charlie Thompson, MD
Cindy Munn
46
Healthcare Journal of Baton Rouge
| March / April 2010 Issue