HJBR Jan/Feb 2021

42 JAN / FEB 2021  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Healthcare Briefs importance grew after it was evident that per- sons are able to transmit COVID before symp- toms develop, and that a substantial portion of infected people never develop symptomatic ill- ness but can still transmit the virus. In this con- text, quarantine is a critical measure to control transmission. CIS Earns National Recognition for Blood Pressure Control Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) is the only facility in Louisiana that has been awarded Gold Status by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) for its commitment to keeping patient blood pressure rates under control, with the ulti- mate goal of reducing the number of Americans who have heart attacks and strokes each year. CIS is one of about 500 physician practices and health systems being recognized nationally this year by the AMA and AHA Target: BP program for achieving blood pressure control rates of 70 percent or more in their adult patient population with high blood pressure. In fact, 82 percent of CIS patients have their blood pressure controlled. CIS believes this number is attributed to many areas of quality control, such as proper training of its staff on how to take blood pressure prop- erly and accurately. Additionally, CIS asks patients to return within 30 days for a blood pressure check in the clinic if the last blood pressure was elevated and/or if medications were adjusted. Physicians may also ask patients to record their blood pressure read- ings at home and bring their blood pressure record to their next appointment, allowing them to appropriately treat hypertension rather than adjusting medicine based solely on an isolated visit. In between visits, CIS Cardio@Home navi- gators assist providers in treating hypertension as well. CIS practice administrators and provid- ers also receive monthly data and feedback on these statistics to drive change. Target: BP is a collaboration between the American Heart Association and the American Medical Association to reduce the number of Americans who have heart attacks and strokes by urging physician practices, health systems, and patients to prioritize blood pressure control. The initiative aims to help health care organizations improve blood pressure control rates through the use of the AMA’s evidence-based M.A.P. quality improvement program, and recognizes organizations committed to improving blood pressure control. “Making sure our blood pressure is well con- trolled is so important to our overall health,” said David Konur, CIS CEO. “CIS is proud and hon- ored to be the only Louisiana healthcare company to be recognized with an AMA Gold provider award for the work we are doing in managing blood pressure.” LSU/HSC Study Finds Earlier Diagnoses of Breast Cancer FollowingMedicaid Expansion More women in Louisiana are receiving breast cancer diagnoses sooner and better access to care and treatment since Medicaid was expanded in Louisiana in 2016, a forthcoming Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center study found. The study is set for publication in an upcom- ing issue of Cancer, the interdisciplinary journal of the American Cancer Society. The lead author is Quyen Chu, MD, a professor of surgery and chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology at LSU Health Shreveport. Louisiana Department of Health Secretary Courtney Phillips, MD, said the study is a good reminder of the importance of staying up to date on routine screenings, especially after many res- idents understandably put off care during the early days of the pandemic. Because of Medicaid expansion, more than 91,000 women in Louisiana have received screen- ing or diagnostic breast imaging, many for the first time. More than 1,100 women have been diagnosed with breast cancer as a result of those screenings. The Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center study found that Medicaid expansion has led to a: • 27% increase in early-stage diagnosis of breast cancer; • 19% increase in access to care for breast cancer; and a • 16% reduction in the delay of receiving care. The study also found that the increase in early- stage diagnoses was aided by the decrease in the number of people who were uninsured. “Improving health outcomes for all Louisian- ans is a top priority for the Department of Health, so it’s encouraging to have additional evidence that Medicaid expansion is working,” Phillips said. Gov. John Bel Edwards signed an executive order expanding the Medicaid program in the state on his first day in office. Expansion went into effect in July 2016 and has since boosted Louisi- anans’ access to medical care. Louisiana Department of Health Adds Antigen Tests to COVID-19 Dashboard The Louisiana Department of Health has begun incorporating antigen tests into the state’s COVID-19 reporting and dashboard. There are two different types of COVID tests – diagnostic tests and antibody tests. An antigen test is a type of diagnostic test. A diagnostic test can show if you have an active COVID-19 infection and should take steps to isolate yourself from oth- ers, and if your close contacts will need to quar- antine themselves to protect the larger commu- nity. In some settings an antigen test will need to be confirmed with a more accurate and definitive molecular/PCR test. The use of antigen tests in Louisiana has increased substantially over the past few weeks. On the COVID-19 dashboard, antigen tests are now included in Total Cases, which are then bro- ken down into Confirmed Cases (molecular/PCR) and Probable Cases (antigen). Antigen tests are also now included in Total Tests, which are simi- larly broken down so one can see which are anti- gen tests and which are PCR tests. It is important to note that at this time, PCR tests will continue to be the only type of test used to calculate percent positivity. This follows current best practices and the guidance of The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally, the reporting of parish, region, and state percent positivity will be standardized as a weekly-cumulative metric throughout the dashboard. Testing for COVID-19 is a key tool in respond- ing to the pandemic. It provides vital information about who is likely to have active infection and when they should isolate to prevent the spread of the virus. n