HJBR Jan/Feb 2022

64 JAN / FEB 2022  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Hospital Rounds purchasers recognized as the toughest standard- setters for healthcare safety and quality. “Today’s announcement of The Spine Hospital of Louisiana receiving the Top General Hospital award from The Leapfrog Group is yet another testament to our team’s unwavering commitment to provide our patients with safe, high-quality care,” said Robert D. Blair, CEO. “I am honored and privileged to work alongside such an out- standing group of people who constantly dem- onstrate pride in their patient care.” “We are pleased to recognize The Spine Hospi- tal of Louisiana as a Top Hospital this year,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Even with the continued strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Spine Hospital of Lou- isiana has demonstrated an extraordinary dedica- tion to excellent healthcare in the Baton Rouge community. We congratulate the board, leader- ship, staff, and clinicians who put their patients first.” April Chaisson Promoted toWoman’s Hospital Chief Financial Officer Woman’s Hospital has promoted April Chaisson to chief financial officer (CFO). Chaisson has more than 20 years of financial leadership experience in healthcare and has previously worked as Woman’s vice president of finance, overseeing the organi- zation’s financial framework and ensuring its align- ment with the hospital’s mission. As CFO, she will support the organization’s strategic priorities and will serve as the executive over finance and oper- ational excellence. Chaisson began her career at Woman’s in 1995 as a financial analyst and later served as director of business services, which included coordinat- ing the development of the Woman’s Center for Wellness. She held leadership positions at Med- ical Management Options and The NeuroMedi- cal Center Clinic before returning to Woman’s in 2010 as the controller over finance and patient financial services. Since 2018, Chaisson has served as Woman’s Hospital’s vice president of finance. During this time, by streamlining processes and procedures across the revenue cycle, she helped achieve a net revenue recovery of $6.3 million. Ochsner Cancer Center – Baton Rouge Announces Completion of Multimillion Dollar Facility Upgrade Ochsner Cancer Center – Baton Rouge announces the completion of its most recent expansion. Additional appointments for cancer subspecialty services are available following the multimillion-dollar facility upgrade. In addition to medical oncology, Ochsner Baton Rouge offers local appointments with physicians who specialize in radiation oncology, surgical oncology, gynecologic oncology, breast oncol- ogy, thoracic surgical oncology, cutaneous (skin) surgical oncology and urologic oncology. “Cancer care is about so much more than just treating the cancer,” said Jay Brooks, MD, chair- man of Ochsner’s Department of Hematology/ Oncology. “We have two state-of-the-art cancer centers in Baton Rouge and a dedicated surgical suite for skin cancer treatment. Patients get excel- lent cancer treatment, but then it goes beyond that at Ochsner.” It is typical for patients to experience other health problems related to their cancer. Many patients need follow-up care during or after their cancer treatment with other medical specialists, such as a cardiologist. “Our integrated electronic medical record sys- tem means that our cardiologists know what the medical oncologists and radiation oncologists know,” added Brooks. “Your Ochsner primary care physician has access to the same records, tests and scans as the specialists. There is no frac- tured care, and everyone is on the same page.” The facility upgrade renovated 1,668 of the more than 20,000 square feet on the first floor at the cancer center. Ancillary space was converted into patient-facing diagnostic and treatment areas. The cancer center also upgraded its tech- nology for positron emission tomography scans, also known as a PET scan or PET-CT. Construction costs were approximately $1.36 million, while the cost of the new equipment exceeded an addi- tional $1 million. n April Chaisson