HJBR Sep/Oct 2020

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE I  SEP / OCT 2020 53 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalBR.com honor by her husband, Dr. Rodney Taylor. Pittman received the Carol Bertrand Award for Excellence. The award was created in memory of the late Bertrand, who was a registered dieti- tian, grassroots advocate for the dietetics profes- sion, and graduate of North Oaks’ second Dietetic Internship class. Faculty selected Pittman for her essay on the potential of registered dietitians tak- ing a role in public policy related to medical nutri- tion therapy. Woman’s Hospital Provides Expert Care for Patients with Placenta Complications Maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) physicians at Woman’s Hospital are trained to treat some of the most complicated and rare conditions during pregnancy for both mom and baby. Dr. Pamela Simmons has a special interest and expertise in treating patients with placenta accreta, a condi- tion where scar tissue can cause the placenta to grow too deeply into the uterus. This typically occurs in patients with multiple Cesarean deliveries. Symptoms can include pain and bleeding during pregnancy, but sometimes there are no symptoms at all. According to the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, only about 3 in 1,000 pregnancies experience this type of complication. Woman’s MFM has satellite clinics across Louisi- ana to help treat more high-risk pregnancy cases. Locations include Lake Charles, Thibodaux, Ham- mond, Covington, and Monroe. Brittany Keen, a patient fromWest Monroe, La., was recently cared for by Woman’s MFM doctors at the satellite clinic in Monroe and delivered her baby at Woman’s Hospital due to placenta accreta. Typical treatment for placenta accreta is a hysterectomy to remove the uterus following the child’s birth. “It can be catastrophic if not detected prior to delivery,” explained Simmons. “The blood loss alone can be fatal if you’re not prepared in the operating room.” Keen delivered a healthy baby girl earlier this year at Woman’s Hospital due to the care and expertise of Simmons and the rest of the hospi- tal’s multidisciplinary team, including MFM, anes- thesia, neonatology, blood bank, and pathology. In most cases, the mom is put under general anesthesia for the entire procedure. But Sim- mons has advocated for her patients to receive spinal anesthesia for delivery so they can witness their child’s birth, and then be switched to general anesthesia for the hysterectomy. “Dr. Simmons was such a great advocate for me and my baby,” Keen explained. “The way she checked in on me every day throughout the pro- cess and really showed she cared, that personal experience was so important to us and meant so much.” Ochsner Health Care Bridge ProgramProvides NewOption for IndividualsWho Lost Health Insurance Due to COVID-19 A new healthcare solution is available for Loui- siana residents who recently lost health insurance and are currently uninsured due to COVID-19. The new Ochsner Health Care Bridge program is a three-month program designed to keep individu- als connected to their Ochsner physicians and the healthcare services they need to manage chronic conditions, get prescriptions filled, and in many cases, get prescription drug assistance. “Ochsner Health recognizes that consistent access to ongoing care is key to helping individ- uals live healthier lives and our virtual platform enables them to stay connected in ways that are also safe and convenient. At a time when many of our community members have lost their jobs and health insurance, this program is geared to pro- vide a bridge to help individuals maintain relation- ships with their providers and get the high qual- ity healthcare they need,” said Robert Hart, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer at Ochsner Health. Over a three-month period, Ochsner Health Care Bridge enrollees can participate in two virtual visits with their Ochsner primary care provider and securely communicate with their care team, obtain test results, and manage medication requests via the online MyOchsner patient portal. Individuals who are not currently established with an Ochsner primary care provider will be connected with one. Additionally, the program covers one lab panel set – a critical diagnostic tool for primary care pro- viders to evaluate an individual’s overall health. Participants will receive: • Complete metabolic panel, which tests for a variety of diseases and conditions includ- ing high blood pressure, kidney disease, and liver disease as well as provides insight into chemical balance and metabolism • Lipid profile to evaluate cholesterol levels • Complete blood count, which analyzes and measures the various components of blood to test for various disorders including leuke- mia (cancer of blood-forming tissues) and anemia (a lack of red blood cells that leads to reduced oxygen levels in the body) In lieu of a complete blood count, participants with diabetes will receive a hemoglobin A1C test, which measures the average blood sugar level over the past two to three months. This blood test provides a primary care provider with key data needed to evaluate and adjust a patient’s diabe- tes treatment plan. The Ochsner Health Care Bridge program is $49 per month for three months. Upon enroll- ment, participants will be screened to determine what type of prescription drug assistance may be available to them. At the end of the three- month period, program participants will have the option to renew for another three-month period or cancel. For more information or to apply for Ochsner Health Care Bridge email carebridge@ochsner. org or visit ochsner.org/carebridge.  CIS Performs First MitraClip® Procedure at Baton Rouge General On June 25, the Structural Heart Team at Cardio- vascular Institute of the South was the first to per- formmitral valve repair using the MitraClip® pro- cedure at Baton Rouge General Medical Center. Pamela Simmons, MD