HJBR May/Jun 2022

62 MAY / JUN 2022  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Hospital Rounds of Our Lady of the Lake. “Dr. Teague is a well- respected and accomplished physician, with more than 20 years of experience. I am confident that he will serve our medical staff well.” Teague is a hospitalist at Our Lady of the Lake and is board-certified in hospital medicine as well as hospice and palliative care. He earned a med- ical degree from the Louisiana State University School of Medicine in Shreveport and performed both an internship and residency at the Univer- sity of Utah Affiliated Hospitals in Salt Lake City. Teague has previously served as the associate medical director for Hospital Medicine Services (2013-2019) as well as the medical director of cod- ing and documentation (2019-2022). As chief of staff, Teague will serve on the Our Lady of the Lake Board of Directors while also leading the Medical Executive Committee. The committee uses input frommore than 1,800 mem- bers of the medical staff to make key leadership decisions related to medical staff policies, proce- dures and rules, with an emphasis on clinical care and quality improvement initiatives. Woman’s Named One of World’s Best Hospitals by Newsweek Woman’s Hospital has been recognized on Newsweek ’s list of World’s Best Hospitals again in 2022, this year for gynecology and maternity care. Woman’s delivers approximately 8,000 babies each year and is the largest delivery hospital in Louisiana, welcoming more than 375,000 babies since opening in 1968. The hospital also per- formed 8,666 surgeries in 2021, with more than 50% of those related to gynecologic health. Wom- an’s is currently the only freestanding, private, Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital Performs ApiFix Procedure Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital is the first location in Louisiana to perform a new spinal surgery treating adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Called the ApiFix procedure, the surgery is a less invasive, motion-preserving option for achiev- ing spinal curve correction. Drs. John Faust, Brad Culotta, and Ryan P. Farmer, orthopedic surgeons with Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health, collaborated on the new spinal surgery on Feb. 22. The ApiFix procedure provides an alternative to both bracing and spi- nal fusion for select AIS patients, instead inserting an internal brace that both preserves motion and allows for patient growth via a self-adjusting rod. Performed using a posterior approach familiar to pediatric orthopedic surgeons and requiring only three anchor points on one side of the spine, the procedure usually takes less than two hours, with patients typically staying in the hospital one to two days after the procedure. “Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health is at the forefront of innovative care, and I’m excited to be able to offer the ApiFix procedure to our patients,” said Faust. “The procedure is a real breakthrough in the treatment of adolescent idio- pathic scoliosis, offering a less-invasive option with more spinal motion control compared to tradi- tional spinal fusion.” Scoliosis is a side-to-side curve of the spine greater than 10 degrees. AIS, the most common type of scoliosis, occurs in late childhood or ado- lescence. Its cause is unknown. In many cases, AIS curves are stable; however, in some cases, the curve can continue to progress over time. For curves that are progressing, treatment options could include bracing or surgery, such as a spinal fusion. The ApiFix procedure was developed to provide a viable alternative to both bracing and fusion for select patients. “This procedure is a game-changer for our children and adolescents,” said Trey Dunbar, MD, president of Our Lady of the Lake Chil- dren’s Health. “We take great pride in the fact that we’re able to bring to Louisiana some of the most ground-breaking innovation when it comes to medicine and treatment. With surgeons like Drs. Faust, Culotta, and Farmer on our team, the sky is the limit to what we can accomplish as a health system.” Ochsner Health Network Achieves Tier 5 Status in Quality Blue Program Ochsner Health Network (OHN) has achieved Tier 5 status in Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Lou- isiana’s (Blue Cross) Quality Blue program for fall 2021. The insurer’s population health and quality improvement program is designed to optimize care delivery for patients who live with chronic conditions. OHN achieved the top-tier ranking based on its performance relative to chronic dis- ease care goals. “Louisiana is one of the least healthy states, especially when it comes to chronic diseases. Through Quality Blue and OHN’s model of coordinated care, we are improving outcomes and reducing the likelihood of strokes, heart attacks, and other major life-threatening events,” said Beau Raymond, MD, FACP, medical direc- tor, OHN. “Earning the top Tier 5 rank reflects OHN’s strong collaboration, aptitude with digi- tal medicine, and ability to scale best practices. The result is evidence-based clinical and quality improvement.” In Quality Blue, Blue Cross works closely with OHN and others to improve health outcomes and hold the line on costs. The program is designed to transform the Blue Cross primary care network from an episode-driven, physician-based care delivery model to a team-based care delivery model. It improves the identification and man- agement of chronic diseases that are prevalent and burdensome, while providing practices with the data and resources that enable proactive, efficient, high-quality care. Patients benefit from improved care coordination because their doctors have actionable data right at their fingertips to make the most of office visits and promote excep- tional health outcomes. Our Lady of the Lake Announces NewChief of Staff Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center has announced the election of Michael D. Teague, MD, as its chief of staff for 2022. “We are excited to have Dr. Teague as our new chief of staff,” said Beth O’Brien, interim president Michael D. Teague, MD