HJBR Sep/Oct 2019

Healthcare Journal of Baton Rouge I  SEP / OCT 2019 59 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalBR.com He is an advocate for Catholic healthcare and the unique opportunities we have to be the face of Christ to each person, especially those most in need. Dr. Vath is a man of deep faith and contin- ues to bring the vision and strength of service to his role that we believe are essential for long-term stability and strength.”  Vath joined the health system in 2006 following two decades of private practice in pulmonology. He has served in a variety of roles including chief medical officer at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge prior to join- ing the health system as its chief transformation officer. Vath has built strong partnerships and coa- litions for innovation throughout the health sys- tem’s statewide markets and ministry. His efforts to create and develop Health Leaders Network have garnered the attention of many, both region- ally and nationally, as he has accelerated the qual- ity performance of the organization’s ambulatory delivery. Early success for managing populations and controlling costs has defined Health Leaders Network expertise as delivered by its more than one thousand member providers, and continued over its first three years of contracts.  Vath graduated from Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans in 1977, com- pleted an internal medicine residency at the Uni- versity of Alabama, Birmingham in 1980, and com- pleted a pulmonary/critical care fellowship at UAB in 1983. Woman’s Hospital Welcomes Gynecologic Oncologist to Breast &GYNCancer Pavilion Woman’s Hospital welcomes Anthony Evans, MD, PhD, as the medical director of gynecologic oncology at the Breast & GYN Cancer Pavilion, where he will specialize in diagnosis and treat- ment of cancers of the female reproductive sys- tem. Evans is one of only nine GYN oncologists practicing in Louisiana and the only full-time Baton Rouge-based GYN oncologist. “Often women will have to travel long distances to see this type of specialist because there are not very many practicing GYN oncologists,” said Cyn- thia Rabalais, executive director of the Breast & GYN Cancer Pavilion, a partnership with Mary Bird Perkins-Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center. “We are able to offer that to our patients here, in Baton Rouge, and surrounding communities, in addi- tion to offering them a unique experience with a specialized focus on women’s specific cancers.” With more than 20 years of experience treat- ing gynecologic cancers, Evans understands the importance of engaging his patients in their treat- ment plan and providing a thorough understand- ing of their condition and care options. ?Ó“I try to discourage patients from just saying ‘You’re the doctor, you know what’s best,’” Evans explained. “It’s important to me that they understand the options that are available to them, what I would recommend and why. I really want them to be invested in the decision because it obviously affects their health and their chances of being successful in beating cancer.” Evans grew up in Georgia where he received a medical degree and a PhD in endocrinology from Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Ga. He also earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry from Emory University in Atlanta. He completed his residency in obstetrics and gyne- cology and a fellowship in gynecologic oncology from Duke University in Durham, N.C. Board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology, and gynecologic oncology, he most recently prac- ticed in Wisconsin at Marshfield Medical Center. Evans embraces the use of robotics-assisted and other minimally invasive surgery methods that speed recovery and lessen down-time and is a leader in radical and complex gynecologic sur- geries. He is also active in the latest cancer clin- ical trials. Woman’s Gynecologic Oncology has a compre- hensive care team to help women navigate their diagnosis. Staff include a nurse practitioner, nurse navigator, palliative care coordinator, social worker and specialized cancer dietitian. Our Lady of the Lake Recognized with TwoAmerican Heart Association Awards Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center has received the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association’s Get With the Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achieve- ment Award with Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite Plus for the second time and, for the first time, the American Heart Association’s Heart Fail- ure Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award.  These awards recognize the hospital’s commit- ment to ensuring stroke patients and heart failure patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research- based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.  “Nearly 795,00 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year and more than 6.5 million adults in the United States are living with heart failure,” explained Dr. Andrew Rees, chief of cardiology at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. “With these two large populations, Our Lady of the Lake has the tools and resources necessary to provide better outcomes and help these individu- als live fuller lives.”  AHA’s quality measures are designed to help hospital teams follow the most up-to-date, evi- dence-based guidelines with the goal of speed- ing recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients and, for heart failure patients, the evaluation of the proper use of medications and aggressive risk-reduction therapies. Before dis- charge, patients also receive education on man- aging their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, Richard R. Vath, MD Anthony Evans, MD, PhD