HJBR Mar/Apr 2020

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE I  MAR / APR 2020 25 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalBR.com “Courtney is a proven leader with a can-do atti- tude and passion for improving health outcomes and making a difference in the lives of others. Her experience as the head of one of the coun- try’s largest health departments is invaluable, and we’re excited to welcome her back to Louisi- ana to serve as the newest secretary of the Loui- siana Department of Health,” Gov. Edwards said. “Over the past four years, we have made great strides in expanding access to healthcare, elim- inating Hep-C and lowering the HIV rate in our state, and I’m confident that Courtney will con- tinue this progress and advance our mission of improving the quality of life for all Louisianans.” Dr. Phillips will begin her role in April. As executive commissioner of Texas HHS, Phil- lips oversaw the largest state agency with more than 40,000 employees, a $78.5 billion operat- ing budget, and more than 220 programs, rang- ing from healthcare, food safety, and benefits to public health tracking and regulation of child care, nursing, and healthcare facilities. She spearheaded the creation of Blueprint for a Healthy Texas, a business plan which highlights system-wide initiatives to promote a dynamic shift in the culture of the Texas HHS. “It’s an honor to return home and serve the people of this great state, as the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health,” Phillips said. “The opportunity to lead the organization in which my career began and ignited my passion for service, is one I do not take lightly. It’s a bless- ing to be able to make a positive difference in someone’s life, and I’m looking forward to work- ing together with Gov. Edwards to improve the health, safety, and well-being for the people of Louisiana.” Phillips also worked to reduce maternal mor- tality and severe pregnancy complications in Texas by teaming up with key stakeholders to create the TexasAIM initiative and provide hos- pitals with tools and expertise to recognize, diag- nose, and treat causes of death and complication such as maternal hemorrhage and opioid use. More than 5K Providers Receive Free Clinical Training in 2019 In support of improvements in quality of care and health outcomes, Louisiana Healthcare Con- nections, a Healthy Louisiana Medicaid health plan, made 463 free clinical training opportuni- ties available to healthcare providers across the state in 2019. “Healthcare is constantly evolving, and pro- viders need access to evidence-based, quality- driven training that keeps them up-to-date on medical advances and new models of care,” said Stewart Gordon, MD, chief medical officer for Louisiana Healthcare Connections. “Making this training available at no cost to healthcare provid- ers ensures that their patients – our members – have access to the highest quality of care, and in turn, contributes to improved health outcomes.” In total, Louisiana Healthcare Connections pro- vided 463 clinical training events in 2019, award- ing nearly 676 hours of continuing education to 5,081 healthcare providers. Many of the course offerings awarded continuing education hours (CEUs) for licensure for physicians, nurses, coun- selors, and social workers. Courses focused on best practices for quality care delivery, psycho- tropic medications, systems of care, ADD/ADHD diagnosis and treatment, and other topics. In the health plan’s 2019 annual survey of pro- viders, Louisiana Healthcare Connections’ clini- cal training team earned a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 95. The Net Promoter Score, or NPS, measures customer experience on a scale from zero to 100. “The trainings have been extremely useful with my patients and address their dialysis treatment adherence barriers,” said Kashenna Lemieux- Bowman, LMSW, with Davita, Inc., a physical health provider with offices across the state. “I’m using the information I learned to titrate members down to lower levels of service as they make improvements,” agreed Carla Boudreaux, LPC-S, with Resource Management Services in Jennings, La. Courtney Farmer, with Family Solutions of Lou- isiana in Baton Rouge, added, “Our agency pro- vides behavioral health services, so the trainings are very useful to our staff while we’re out pro- viding services to the clients in our community.” In addition to the behavioral health and inte- grated care courses, the health plan hosted a free, web-based training series that enabled eli- gible physicians to complete the educational requirements necessary to become buprenor- phine-waivered to treat Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). Conducted by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), the series prepared physicians to prescribe and treat opioid depen- dency with buprenorphine in the primary care setting, significantly increasing access to the evi- dence-based treatment. More than 120 physi- cians registered for the course. “Buprenorphine has proven to be a clinically effective therapy that has the potential to reduce the rates of opioid dependency in Louisiana,” said Gordon. “By providing the training neces- sary for physicians to become waivered to pre- scribe this therapy, we are increasing opportu- nities for them to address this addiction at the point of care.” NewDental Office Coming to DenhamSprings Ross Harris, DDS, will soon be offering dental services to the community of Denham Springs at his brand-new office, Denham Springs Den- tal Care. The practice is set to open on Feb. 6. “We are excited to be joining the Denham Springs community to offer high-quality dental services to families and individuals of all ages,” said Harris. “Our mission is to provide excep- tional experiences to each patient who walks through our doors.” Harris earned a bachelor’s degree from Loui- siana Tech University in Ruston and a Doctorate of Dental Surgery from Louisiana State Univer- sity School of Dentistry in New Orleans. He is an active member of the American Dental Associa- tion, Louisiana Dental Association, and Greater Baton Rouge Dental Association. Denham Springs Dental Care is located at 27686 Juban Road in Denham Springs. ICYMI: Louisiana Department of Health Launches Equity Plan The Associated Press published a story on the Louisiana Department of Health’s health equity plan, which was unveiled in December to depart- ment leadership. The plan is aimed at improving the health out- comes of vulnerable populations in Louisiana, particularly those that are experiencing dispari- ties. Offices and bureaus throughout the depart- ment are now required to develop health equity action teams that will convene regularly to