HJBR Sep/Oct 2022

60 SEP / OCT 2022  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Hospital Rounds including diabetes, heart disease, and strokes. Bariatric surgery is an effective way to address these long-term health risks. As an Optum COE, Woman’s is committed to providing the highest quality of care while also maintaining affordable treatment plans for patients looking to address significant health risks through bariatric services. The Woman’s Bariatric Surgery program has also earned the Blue Distinction Specialty Care Center Plus designation from Blue Cross Blue Shield and is nationally accredited by the Metabolic and Bar- iatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improve- ment Program (MBSAQIP) for meeting nationally established objective quality measures. Stephen Howell is Ochsner Baton Rouge CFO Ochsner Baton Rouge welcomed Stephen How- ell as chief financial officer. Howell brings more than 30 years of healthcare leadership experience in complex roles requiring project coordination, budgeting strategies, and management skills. Howell spent the first 20 years of his career with Baton Rouge General, starting as a financial ana- lyst and eventually being named director of deci- sion support, strategy, business development, and physician analysis. He then formed his own con- sulting firm that worked with hospitals across the country and was involved with the startup of the Louisiana Healthcare Information Exchange. In 2015, he joined Northern Light Health, a $2.1 billion health system in Maine, where he served as vice president of capital planning and finance before joining Ochsner. Howell earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and accounting, and a master’s degree in finance Ochsner, East Baton Rouge EMS Reach Patient Data- Sharing Agreement Ochsner Baton Rouge has reached a two-way patient data-sharing agreement with East Baton Rouge Parish Emergency Medical Services. The first arrangement of its kind in the Capital region, this data-sharing model benefits both EMS and emergency department staff at Ochsner Medical Center – Baton Rouge. Under the agreement, EMS personnel share treatment information electronically when deliv- ering patients to the OMC-Baton Rouge emer- gency department. This quickly provides ED phy- sicians and medical providers with accurate data on medications and procedures that patients receive prior to arrival. “Sometimes it’s very chaotic when EMS arrives with a critical patient,” said Nathan Freeman, MD, medical director of emergency medicine, Ochsner Baton Rouge. “We’re doing everything we can, as quickly as we can, to save lives. Having a complete record of what was done in the field adds another valuable layer of information while we’re trying to solve a complex medical problem.” In addition, the agreement gives EMS person- nel an opportunity to compare their field diag- noses with those reached by Ochsner ED physi- cians. East Baton Rouge EMS Medical Director Dan Godbee, MD, said exchanging the informa- tion is an invaluable training tool. It also provides a major psychological benefit for EMS personnel. “Our responders care about the people they’re trying to help, and they want to do the best job possible for every second that it takes to transport the patient to the hospital,” Godbee said. “The vast majority of times, they never know what ulti- mately happened to the patient. So, this agree- ment makes it possible to understand the physi- cian’s diagnosis and the patient’s outcome, which is very meaningful for our team.” Our Lady of the Lake Names Scott Richard NewVice President of Finance Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Cen- ter has named Scott Richard, CPA, as its new vice president of finance. Richard has been the Our Lady of the Lake director of finance since 2017 and is also currently serving as the Interim chief financial officer for Our Lady of Lourdes. “Scott has been an invaluable member of the health system for more than two decades and I know he will continue to help our ministry grow in his new role,” said Lowell Stanton, SVP, regional chief financial officer for Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. “I am excited to have him as a member of our executive team.” Richard has nearly 25 years of experience serv- ing within the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, including stints as the CFO of St. Elizabeth Hospital (now Our Lady of the Lake Ascension) and interim CFO at St. Francis Medical Center. He also was part of the team that helped open Our Lady of Angels in 2014. “I am extremely excited to continue my jour- ney within the health system and take on this new role,” said Richard. “The future of Our Lady of the Lake is bright, and I look forward to continuing to promote our mission of extending the healing ministry of Jesus Christ to those in need.” Richard received both a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA from Louisiana State Uni- versity and is a certified public accountant. He is also a longtime member of the Healthcare Finan- cial Management Association (HFMA), previously serving on the National Advisory Council as well as President of the Louisiana Chapter. He is cur- rently serving as a member of the Region 9 Com- mittee, helping shape education for a five-state region. Woman’s Bariatric Surgery ProgramReceives National Accreditation The Woman’s Bariatric Surgery program was awarded the Bariatric Center of Excellence (COE) accreditation from the Clinical Sciences Institute of Optum for a third year. Optum COE facilities are evaluated annually to ensure the highest quality and best value in bar- iatrics. As a re-designated COE, the Woman’s Bar- iatric Surgery Program was rigorously evaluated in volume of surgeries, number and experience of surgeons, complications and mortality rate, certi- fications, length of program existence, and mul- tidisciplinary team. Obesity-related health conditions include some of the leading causes of preventable death Stephen Howell