HJBR Nov/Dec 2020

58 NOV / DEC 2020  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Hospital Rounds Achievement Award. These awards recognize the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients and heart failure patients receive the most appro- priate treatment according to nationally recog- nized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence. “Stroke and heart failure affect millions of Amer- icans each year. At Our Lady of the Lake we have the tools and resources necessary to provide bet- ter outcomes and help these individuals live fuller lives.,” said Dr. Andrew Rees, chief of cardiology at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. “If you or someone you know is experiencing a stroke or untreated heart failure, seek treatment imme- diately. Do not delay based on fear or hopes that it will get better because time is especially impor- tant in these conditions.” More than 6.5 million adults in the United States are living with heart failure and many heart fail- ure patients can lead a full, enjoyable life when their condition is managed with proper medica- tions or devices and with healthy lifestyle changes. According to the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult dis- ability in the United States. On average, some- one in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recur- rent stroke each year. 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 manag- ing their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions. “We are pleased to recognize Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center for their commit- ment to stroke and heart failure care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, MD, national chairperson of the Quality Oversight Committee and executive vice chair of neurology, director of acute stroke services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Bos- ton, Mass. “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines quality improvement initia- tive can often see fewer readmissions and lower and pregnant women from New Orleans hospi- tals during Hurricane Katrina and helped rescue 122 babies. The hospital also took in babies dur- ing Hurricanes Rita in 2005 and Gustav in 2008. “As soon as we knew other hospitals in our state may be impacted by Hurricane Laura, we quickly began reaching out to offer support,” said Cheri Johnson, senior vice president of patient care ser- vices and chief nursing officer for Woman’s Hos- pital. “While you never want to be in a position where patients have to be evacuated, it’s always inspiring to see so many hospitals across the state come together to do what is best for these moms and babies.” Woman’s worked with Children’s Hospital New Orleans, Our Lady of Lourdes Women’s & Chil- dren’s Hospital, and Lafayette General to trans- port NICU babies. Baton Rouge General Receives Cardiac Rehab Certification Baton Rouge General (BRG) announced that its Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Program has been certified by the American Association of Cardio- vascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR). BRG is the only hospital in Baton Rouge with an AACVPR-certified cardiac rehab program. “We’ve seen the effects COVID-19 has on patients with underlying conditions like heart disease,” said Dr. Lance LaMotte, BRG Cardiac Rehab medical director. “That’s why a program like this is so important. Cardiac rehab helps patients decrease their chances of heart attack or re-hos- pitalization with a customized plan designed for each patient’s unique circumstances.” Cardiovascular rehabilitation programs help people recover from a heart attack, bypass sur- gery, or heart disease faster, improving their qual- ity of life. Our Lady of the Lake Receives Two American Heart Association Awards Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center received the American Heart Association/Amer- ican Stroke Association’s Get With the Guide- lines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite and the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality mortality rates.” Our Lady of the Lake also received the Associa- tion’s Target: Diabetes Type 2 Honor Roll award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed with more than 90 percent of compliance for 12 consecutive months for the “Overall Diabetes Cardiovascular Initiative Composite Score.” Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center is also recognized as a HeartCARE Center National Distinction of Excellence by the American Col- lege of Cardiology (ACC) making it only one of 23 designated facilities in the country. This designa- tion is the highest recognition given by the ACC to hospitals and health systems that meet criteria demonstrating a commitment to providing excep- tional cardiovascular care. Our Lady of the Lake is Joint Commission-accredited as a Certified Pri- mary Stroke Center of Excellence for its compre- hensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients. Ochsner Accountable Care Network Announces $23M + in Savings for Medicare Beneficiaries The Ochsner Accountable Care Network, LLC (OACN) reported its 2019 performance results, which include a reduction in the expected cost of care by more than $23M for 31,000 Medicare beneficiaries. The 2019 savings represented a 53% increase in savings per beneficiary (nearly $800 per patient) and an 81% increase in total savings over 2018. This report marks OACN’s third consecu- tive year of successful clinical performance. The progress in chronic disease management and pre- ventive health programs positively impacted the overall health of the elderly population through- out the region. “The continued success of Ochsner Health Net- work (OHN) and OACN is a reflection of unparal- leled collaboration and a shared vision of creat- ing a healthier region,” said David Carmouche, MD, executive director, OACN. “Louisiana and Mississippi face significant and disproportionate healthcare challenges compared to the rest of the country, and our entire team of providers and staff proves ready to face them by finding solutions that improve the health, quality of life and cost of care for our elderly patients and community. Through the sharing of data, utilization of technology, and