Vision 1st Quarter 2013

VIS1ON – page #A Satellite Campus of Tulane University School of Medicine

A Publication for BRG Medical Staff Spring 2013

A Satellite Campus ofTulane University School of Medicine

Raising the BarFrom construction to clinical quality improvements

What’s InsideDriving Quality 3Mid City Moving Forward 7Bluebonnet Expansion 12 EMR Upgrade 15

Evelyn Hayes, MD, Interim President & CEO

Our organization is experiencing tremendous momentum in the community, and with the exciting growth and development of our programs, services and facilities at both campuses, we are all looking forward into a bright future, thanks to the leadership of Bill Holman, who announced his retirement in February. As Bill hands over the keys, I would like to recognize him for his service and dedication and the amazing accomplishments we, as an organization, have achieved with him at the helm. We have cultivated one of the very best hospital leadership teams in the nation, and today, Baton Rouge General is a thriving organization with sound strategy and financial viability, well positioned for the evolving face of healthcare.

It is often said that the one constant in healthcare is change. In many ways this is true – as a healthcare community, we are all on the journey toward perfection and enhancing the value of care for our patients. And while our methods and processes may change, as we continuously strive to improve outcomes, our commitment to transparency and the highest standards for quality care and patient safety remains steady. Reflected in the Joint Commission survey team’s glowing feedback on our hospital’s high level of quality, implementation of best practices, staff engagement, and patient satisfaction, Baton Rouge General has already set the stage for another exceptional year.

The results of our annual medical staff survey in the fall have provided us with actionable information that will help us enhance our hospital efficiencies, services and facilities to meet your needs and provide exceptional care for your patients. Rest assured each and every physician response receives critical evaluation for the sole purpose of improving patient care at Baton Rouge General.

As part of our continuing performance improvement focus, we recently kicked off a hospital-wide initiative engaging nursing, medical staff and administration in evidence-based leadership development to continue

driving excellence and accountability at every level of the organization and increasing satisfaction across the board. Our goal is to make Baton Rouge General an even better hospital for physicians to practice through stronger collaboration among physicians, staff and administration; increased physician input in process and quality improvements; enhanced practice and operational efficiencies and, ultimately, improved outcomes for patients.

As we integrate our 2012-2013 medical staff survey results into this endeavor and our ongoing quality initiatives, I look forward to continuing our journey with you and always welcome hearing from you about how we can continue to work together to make Baton Rouge General the hospital of choice for physicians and patients alike.

Sincerely,

Evelyn Hayes, MDInterim President & CEO

BRGOneVision.org

VIS1ON – page 2A Satellite Campus of Tulane University School of Medicine

A Message From Evelyn Hayes, MD Interim President and CEO

• Proactive• Communication• Physician involvement in decision-making• Accountability• Political/regulatory involvement/influence• New talent recruitment and physician recognition • Persistence

Physician feedback from this year’s medical staff retreat and fall survey provided a vision for the qualities that will define our current and future leadership, including:

Dr. Andrew Olinde, Chief of Staff, at left with Dr. Jeffrey Littleton, Chief of Surgery


Driving QualityQuality is undoubtedly today’s healthcare buzzword. Nationwide healthcare has been inspired by high reliability industries such as aviation and manufacturing, and as an industry, is focused on transforming itself to deliver highly reliable, safe, quality care. Baton Rouge General stands together with our local healthcare community on the journey to perfection in our care processes, and at every level of the organization, physician leaders are steering our journey to high reliability. Through our innovative, physician-guided performance improvement platform Work Excellence, which utilizes the rigorous principles of Lean and Six Sigma, Baton Rouge General is achieving consistent delivery of the highest levels of safe, effective, quality care through evidence-based practices.

As the area’s only Joint Commission “Top Performer” hospital for heart attack, heart failure, surgical care and pneumonia, and demonstrated by our recent Joint Commission accreditation survey, in which the surveyors commended our hospital for exceptional quality care, staff engagement at every level of our organization, and successful “best practices” for process improvement, Baton Rouge General is truly fostering a culture of quality and patient safety from the boardroom to the bedside.

Keys to achieving our performance improvement and patient safety goals are leadership commitment, interdisciplinary staff engagement and collaboration, and leveraging technology to enhance reporting and communication systems. In addition to redesigning tools and processes, our quality programs are supported by a culture that fosters transparency to encourage continuous learning and improvement throughout the organization. Our clinical quality and patient safety initiatives have focused on reducing and eliminating Healthcare Acquired Conditions (HACs),

including preventing falls and infections, as well as reducing readmissions to the hospital. Significantly, Baton Rouge General has achieved a 54% reduction in HACs across clinical areas in the organization. Baton Rouge General’s cumulative efforts to foster a culture of safety are reflected by our ranking among the nation’s top quartile in inpatient mortality index – steadily decreasing over the past four years, the General’s actual mortality rate in 2012 was 34% lower than expected based on the severity of illness of our patients.

BRG Inpatient Mortality Rate

Mor

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4.5%

4.0%

3.5%

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2.5%

2.0%

1.5%

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dex

(Act

ual/E

xpec

ted)

0.85%

0.80%

0.75%

0.70%

0.65%

0.60%

0.55%

3.17% 3.03%

2.82%

3.99% 3.92% 3.93%

3.72%

2009 2010 2011 2012

BRG Mortality Rate Expected Mortality Rate (3M) Mortality Index (Act/Exp)

2.47%

Data Source: Premier Quality Advisor; excludes maternity and pediatric admissions

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00 P

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ays

Preventable Harm (HAC) Rate 2010 - 2012

1.0

0.8

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0.0

Harm Rate Decreased by 54%

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10

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BRGOneVision.org


MD Spotlights

As the first physician Chair of Baton Rouge General’s Board of Trustees in recent history, and now, currently serving as the General’s interim president and CEO, Dr. Evelyn Hayes is taking the General’s quality and patient safety agenda straight to the top. Dr. Hayes is committed to elevating the General’s quality and patient safety focus in a top-down approach by engaging stakeholders across the organization in our quality efforts in a meaningful way.

With her purple and gold tiger earrings and her beautiful Standard Poodle, Sylvia – named for the legendary former Lady Tiger and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Sylvia Fowles – it’s no secret Dr. Hayes is passionate about LSU Women’s basketball. Catching up with her via phone after a cross country flight to Washington, where she traveled to cheer on her favorite team in the NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen, Dr. Hayes remarks on the efficiency of “carrying” books on her iPad rather than the cumbersome paperback library she used to tote on trips. Paperless is also indisputably the future of healthcare and the connection to quality is not lost on Dr. Hayes. She recognizes the critical role technology plays in our quality journey and is committed to leading Baton Rouge General’s robust EMR strategy – improving our EMR systems to better track and leverage data to enhance quality and patient safety in every aspect of care, including clinical and administrative processes and efficiencies with the goal of improving outcomes.

Practicing medicine in our community for more than 35 years, Dr. Hayes has dedicated her career to driving transformational quality and innovating women’s healthcare. As Baton Rouge’s first female obstetrician-gynecologist, Hayes was a pioneering OB/Gyn in our community on many levels – starting the area’s first all-female OB/Gyn practice and enhancing women’s healthcare and birth options for deliveries. Reflecting on her career, Dr. Hayes said that she always planned to pursue a pediatric residency until her senior year in medical school. “I came to realize that with OB/Gyn, I’d be involved with babies and pediatrics, genetics, surgery, and endocrinology. Specializing in women’s health has offered me not only a comprehensive clinical experience but one of the most rewarding. I’ve had the opportunity to truly see my patients come full circle - caring for them as they transition through different phases in their lives.”

Long before we had a common quality language with national guidelines and tools to measure ourselves clinically, physicians were cultivating quality ideals through involvement in professional organizations and peer-to-peer dialogue, and continuing education to keep abreast of advancements in healthcare. “A physician colleague once made a comment following a presentation I delivered that has guided me throughout my career – he said ‘the study of medicine is a marathon, not a sprint.’ I have always tried to practice this philosophy – as physicians, we can magnify our appreciation of quality through continuous study and improvement of best practices to provide the highest quality care for our patients.”

Demonstrated by her Lean Six Sigma Green Belt training, Dr. Hayes embraces lifelong learning in medicine and is dedicated to driving clinical quality leadership in our organization. “As physicians, one of the ways we stay at the forefront of clinical quality and technology is through medical education – to train future physicians we must be at the leading edge,” commented Dr. Hayes. “In this respect, Baton Rouge General plays an integral role in developing physician quality leaders through our affiliation with Tulane University School of Medicine with the Baton Rouge LEAD Academy, and graduate medical education programs.” Most recently, five Tulane LEAD medical students earned Yellow Belt certification in Lean Six Sigma and one has achieved Green Belt certification.

Physician Led Quality Agenda A conversation with Evelyn Hayes, MD

Dr. Hayes with family after an LSU Women’s Basketball game


As the proud parent of an LSU Lady Tiger shooting and point guard, Dr. Kenney is an avid basketball fan – only missing one game this season. And although not an athlete himself (he was inclined to hone his musical skills on the guitar and piano), Dr. Kenney recognizes that coordinated, team-based approaches are valuable on the court and off. In his role as medical director for quality care and patient safety, Kenney collaborates with interdisciplinary teams including physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and other clinical staff to improve quality and patient safety, streamline processes and enhance communication across the continuum of care with the aim of improving outcomes.

“All aspects of care – physician care, nursing, administrative oversight – must work together, respecting the expertise of each care team member from the frontlines to the boardroom, with the patient at the center,” said Dr. Kenney. He also pointed out that “individual performance and accountability are equally critical to clinical excellence and improved outcomes. Even on a basketball team, every player must strive to be the best he/she can be to achieve a win.”

In his role with the General’s Quality and Patient Safety Department, Dr. Kenney also provides medical leadership, with Chief Medical Officer Dr. Floyd Roberts, for ongoing clinical quality and patient safety initiatives. Quality is often seen as an abstract concept, but in recent years, healthcare has begun to build a concrete, operational language for quality.

“Quality is in many ways a discipline of medicine unto itself – with techniques, strategies and metrics to demonstrate that care processes

are effective and translate into positive outcomes for patients,” comments Dr. Kenney. Baton Rouge General’s Work Excellence performance improvement platform is driving our hospital-wide quality and patient safety agenda to achieve optimal patient outcomes through process improvement methodologies including Lean and Six Sigma. Current projects include improving efficiencies such as OR start times; improving outcomes such as reducing readmissions for congestive heart failure patients with a new coaching program; addressing patient satisfaction (HCAHPS); and implementing electronic health record systems.

Dr. Kenney also serves as a Tulane University School of Medicine Baton Rouge satellite campus faculty member for the internal medicine residency program based at the General’s Mid City campus. “As physicians we are grounded in science, and with that comes a willingness to continually learn and be part of leading change. Quality is a continuum and the way we are training our future physicians and residents reflects this focus on continual refinement of care processes to improve outcomes for our patients.”

When he’s not cultivating clinical quality, Dr. Kenney heads to upper Point Coupee parish to a small tract of farmland that has been in his family since the 1890s. The property is currently used for farming hay and pecans, and there is always an abundance of work. “It’s a lot of work but also relaxing and restorative,” commented Dr. Kenney. A Louisiana native, Kenney of course enjoys spending time outdoors (though not as much as he’d like) boating, fishing and duck hunting to name just a few.

De-Buzzing Quality A conversation with Robert Kenney, MD

Dr. Hayes with family after an LSU Women’s Basketball game

Kenny Cole, MD, and Evelyn Hayes, MD, are the first physicians to enter Baton Rouge General’s Lean Six Sigma Green Belt training program. Led by Baton Rouge General’s Quality and Performance Improvement Department, the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) training program is leading a cultural transformation that empowers frontline employees to reinvent processes resulting in enhanced quality, safety, efficiency, and satisfaction of patients and providers. Part of the General’s larger Work Excellence performance improving platform, the training program utitlizes the rigorous principles of Lean and Six Sigma methodologies.

This year’s Green Belt training program kicked off in January. Over the course of six to eight months, Green Belt candidates attend training sessions where they learn in-depth skills of Lean Six Sigma and then successfully apply these skills to a Lean Six Sigma initiative. As physician candidates, Drs. Cole and Hayes are leading quality improvement initiatives within the scope of their practices as part of the final step in achieving Green Belt certification.

Through a process improvement project focusing on patient flow in her practice, Dr. Hayes aims to enhance the efficiency, safety and cost-effectiveness of care for patients. Implementing a hypertension management program in his internal medicine practice, Dr. Cole’s goal is to pilot the use of best practice guidelines as a pathway to improve control of high blood pressure among the group’s hypertensive patient population. Commenting on his decision to enter the Lean Six Sigma program, Dr. Cole said, “I saw opportunities to improve our healthcare delivery system that have the potential to achieve better outcomes for patients and decrease their risk for chronic diseases while at the same time reducing costs.”

First Physician Candidates Enter Lean Six Sigma Program

BRGOneVision.org


“ I saw opportunities to improve our healthcare delivery system that have the potential to achieve better outcomes for patients and decrease their risk for chronic diseases while at the same time reducing costs.”

Kenny Cole, MD


The Baton Rouge satellite campus of Tulane University School of Medicine hosted the first Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification Program for medical students. Five “fourth-year” medical students completed the four week course which was designed to familiarize medical students with Lean Six Sigma principles while developing future leadership potential in performance improvement initiatives in a hospital, clinic, health research institution, or similar setting. The course consisted of online reading material, 12 hours of lecture/discussion, and dedicated hours for simulating a clinical improvement initiative and drafting for professional publication. The goal of the course initiative is not only to apply the improvement methods learned, but also to foster shared learning via publication of research. The course was developed and taught by Tulane Adjunct Faculty Member, Erin Zeringue, who is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and is currently the Vice President of Quality & Performance Improvement at Baton Rouge General.

“Our Lean Six Sigma training is one of the many unique leadership opportunities I have been afforded in the Baton Rouge LEAD program. Through the program I developed a solid foundation in process improvement concepts which

I believe will be a tremendous asset as I continue my medical training and into my future career,” noted Taylor Burkholder, fourth-year Tulane LEAD student and Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt.

Tulane Medical Students Achieve Yellow Belt Certification in Lean Six Sigma

Mid City Moving Forward

Tulane LEAD students pictured from left to right with Erin Zeringue (center): Christopher Terndrup; Taylor Burkholder; John Thornton; Bryan Picou; Katharine Burt

BRGOneVision.org


The Institutional Review Committee (IRC) functioning in accordance with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has awarded Baton Rouge General with Initial Accreditation. ACGME is a professional organization responsible for the accreditation of 8,887 residency education programs across the country. As part of the initial and re-accreditation process, Baton Rouge General’s Graduate Medical Education Program, including its Family

Medicine Residency Program and Internal Medicine Residency Program, underwent a rigorous program and institutional review. Thanks to the leadership and staff of the General’s Graduate Medical Education Department, Family Medicine and Internal Medicine for their hard work and dedication in earning re-accreditation!

Tulane School of Medicine’s 2013 LEAD MD Candidate Christopher Terndrup was recently awarded the 2013 American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation Leadership Award at the group’s annual Excellence in Medicine Awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. This award honors a select group of physicians and medical students who exemplify the medical profession’s highest values: commitment to service, community involvement, altruism, leadership and dedication to patient care. While in D.C., Terndrup also participated in leadership development training as part of the AMA National Advocacy Conference.

After learning that he was selected, Terndrup commented, “I know that my time at Tulane, and specifically my participation in the TUSOM-Baton Rouge General LEAD program, helped me develop the skills and the desire to pursue a career in leadership in medicine.” Originally from Birmingham and an alum of Tulane undergrad, Terndrup plans to pursue a residency in internal medicine after graduation.

Tulane LEAD MD Candidate Recognized by AMA

Residency Programs Earn Re-accreditation


Whether its volunteering medical support at the Louisiana Marathon or clinical expertise at the Mardi Gras Mambo 10K, chances are you’ve seen Baton Rouge General’s sports medicine specialists and fellows about town supporting the Baton Rouge athletic community! Led by medical director Dr. Vincent Shaw, Baton Rouge General’s Sports Medicine Fellowship is a one-year program affiliated with Louisiana State University’s Athletics Department that is focused on training sports medicine physicians to provide exceptional care for patients and athletes in the clinic, in the training room, and on the field.

The Fellowship program recently welcomed Brian Harrell, MD, CAQ, who serves as Associate Program Director for the Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship Program as well as a faculty member with the Family Medicine Residency Program at Baton Rouge General. In addition to his role with the Fellowship program, Dr. Harrell maintains a family and sports medicine clinical practice with Baton Rouge General Physicians. A native of Louisiana, Dr. Harrell is a graduate of Texas A&M Health Sciences Center College of Medicine. He completed his residency training in family medicine at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Lake Charles, Louisiana. He completed his fellowship training in Primary Care Sports Medicine at Baton Rouge General. Dr. Harrell is Board Certified in family medicine and holds a Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) in Sports Medicine.


Affiliated with Tulane University School of Medicine

GME Specialty Spotlight: Sports Medicine Fellowship Program

Dr. Andrew Li-Yung Hing and Dr. Vincent Shaw at the 2013 Mardi Gras Mambo 10K.

Established in 1970, Baton Rouge General’s Burn Center was Louisiana’s first designated burn facility and first in the state to provide revolutionary skin grafting technology for burn treatment. With the completion of the renovated outpatient area, the Burn Center continues to be at the forefront of burn care advancements with the latest in outpatient burn treatments and services including CO2 laser scar revision, and occupational and physical therapy. Serving a vital need for patients in the Greater Baton Rouge community and the entire Gulf Coast region, the Burn Center also has international reach, most recently, providing critical care for burn patients, native to the Philippines, who were injured in the November 2012 oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, the Burn Center plays an important role in medical education and training.

“Medical students, residents and ancillary staff trainees receive invaluable clinical training in critical care skills for treating patients with burn injuries and other critical conditions at the Burn Center,” said Dhaval Adhvaryu, MD, FACS, acute care and burn surgeon with Baton Rouge General Physicians. “With the outpatient area renovation, Baton Rouge General continues to offer patients in our area access to leading-edge burn care as well as enhancing educational opportunities in the areas of burn reconstruction and rehabilitation.”

Baton Rouge General’s Burn Center Inpatient Unit was last renovated 27 years ago. By completing the first two phases of the renovation project which included a special waiting area for families and the outpatient care area, the center is looking ahead to complete the vision for the center with Phase 3, a renovation of the Inpatient Treatment Facility. This project will create a state-of-the-art inpatient unit, allowing treatment in each patient room and creating a seamless transition for patients from treatment to rehabilitation. To complete the vision, Baton Rouge General’s Foundation will need to turn to our community for support of this very important endeavor.

Baton Rouge General recently completed renovations of the Burn Center’s Outpatient Unit. The redesign included renovation of

outpatient treatment rooms dedicated to the removal of tissue and application of burn dressings, a special procedure room, a

rehabilitation gym, designated overnight room for patient families, family consultation room, and nurse’s station. In addition,

all treatment rooms feature enhanced lighting, tiled walls and specialized equipment for wound care. The $500,000 project

was generously funded by donors in the Greater Baton Rouge community comprised of physicians, former patients, community

foundations and organizations, and completed the second phase of a three-phase total renovation of the center.

Burn Center Outpatient Renovation Complete

BRGOneVision.org


Dr. Mikah Thompson with Pediatric Burn patient

• Annually, the General’s Regional Burn Center treats more than 90% of all inpatient burns in the Metro region.

• As the only comprehensive burn facility in a 300-mile radius, the Burn Center has treated patients from more than 150 zip codes across the Gulf Coast region over the past three years.

• Additionally, Baton Rouge General has dedicated staff at its Bluebonnet campus for pediatric burn patients in the 8-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.


With plans for further development of senior services and plans for expansion of the Seniors ER, Baton Rouge General is committed to excellence in every dimension of senior care. Recently earning national designation as a NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Health System Elders) hospital from The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University College of Nursing, Baton Rouge General is focused on evidence-based, nursing approaches to interdisciplinary geriatric care that promote positive experiences for senior patients.

Specific areas targeted by the NICHE program include:• Decreasing length of hospital stay• Reducing hospital-acquired complications• Educating staff to be sensitive to seniors’

needs• Redesigning patient care areas to enhance

function and comfort

The General’s senior programs and services are led by a highly skilled, multi-disciplinary team of nurses and physicians specially trained in geriatric care in collaboration with clinicians from related care areas, including physical therapists, pharmacists and social workers who have received specialized geriatric sensitivity training.

“As our aging senior population increases, it is important for us to create an environment that anticipates and responds to their specific needs ... not just in the medical conditions we treat, but in the manner we treat our patients,” said Venkat Banda, MD, Baton Rouge General’s Chief of Medicine.

Leading the region as the first and only emergency room dedicated to seniors, the General’s Seniors ER was established in 2011 to address the pressing need to synergize emergency and geriatric care for our aging baby boomer population. Seniors ER expansion plans include further development of seniors programming and the addition of senior patient accommodations and additional nursing staff specially trained in geriatric care. Completion of Mid City’s Seniors ER expansion project is anticipated in May.

Senior Services ExpansionWith the 65 and older population in the Greater Baton Rouge area expected to reach approximately 13% of the total population by the end of 2016, Baton Rouge General remains focused on serving the unique medical needs of seniors in our community.

Betty and Glenn Cupit –– Recently suffering a stroke, Glenn was a patient in our Seniors ER.


BRGOneVision.org


New Medical Office Tower Construction ProgressBaton Rouge General is continuously looking at responsible growth opportunities to meet the unique needs of our patients and physicians alike, and we continue to move forward with construction of a new state-of-the-art medical office tower adjacent to Pennington Cancer Center (ROC). The new tower is part of a larger, physician-guided hospital expansion project on the Bluebonnet campus, and follows the hospital’s recent surgical services expansion and new heart and vascular tower. The surgical expansion included the addition of four new operating rooms equipped with an innovative hybrid build out and minimally invasive robotics. The medical office tower project remains on target for completion in early 2014 – moving the General one step closer to becoming a fully integrated medical community.

Interested in office space in the new medical office tower? Visit www.BRGOneVision.org for more information or contact Dionne Viator, Executive Vice President and Chief Business Development Officer, at (225) 237-1541 for details on scheduling an interest meeting.

Patient Medical Tower Expansion Baton Rouge General recently announced plans to expand an existing patient tower on the Bluebonnet campus:

• Two floors and 64 beds – increasing the total patient beds from 201 to 265

• Construction timeline: Late spring through the end of 2014

• $24 million expansion

Bluebonnet Campus Expansion


B. Eugene Berry, MD, Outstanding Student AwardAll New Hybrid “Drives”

Like a Dream

Baton Rouge General Medical Center

for Knee and Hip ReplacementFor your patientsFree hip and knee replacement surgery and spine surgery education sessions –– how to prepare and what to expect during and after surgery. Contact Paige Brown, RN, CNOR, Total Joint Program Coordinator, at (225) 763-4601, for seminar information.

Baton Rouge General’s all-new “hybrid” isn’t exactly a high-tech car, but surgeons are telling us that it drives like a dream! Thanks to the physicians who dedicated countless hours to its state-of-the-art planning and design, our surgery teams are keeping quite busy. Dr. Joseph Griffin, Vascular Surgeon with Vascular Specialty Center, performed the first case in the General’s new hybrid OR in November, and enthusiastically commented on his experience. He said that, as a clinician, “It makes all the difference when you have real-time, razor sharp, 3D digital imagery, spacious accommodations, and the logistical efficiencies of a well-oiled surgery team.”

A few months later, the General’s newly expanded surgical facilities and hybrid operating suite received a high-profile visit from world renowned interventional cardiologist, and pioneer of the over-the-wire balloon angioplasty catheter, Dr. John Simpson. Simpson was on site

to observe local vascular surgeon Dr. Glen Schwartzberg, performing the region’s first endovascular hybrid room procedure using the Ocelot catheter, a new device for minimally-invasive vascular procedures.

Unlike a “retrofit,” the General’s state-of-the-art hybrid suite allows seamless transitions from interventional to open procedures, all within spacious accommodations. Remarking on the innovative surgical space, Simpson said, “Baton Rouge General’s comprehensive cardiac and vascular services and facilities are truly impressive. They are by far, the best I’ve seen.”

BRGOneVision.org


President and CEO Bill Holman RetiresAfter 12 years with Baton Rouge General and 48 years in the healthcare industry, President and CEO Bill Holman announced his retirement at the end of February. Baton Rouge General’s accomplishments under his leadership are impressive, and we thank and recognize him for his service and dedication.

Indeed, under Holman’s leadership, Baton Rouge General has enjoyed a long list of successes and accolades. In January, our hospital was recognized as Baton Rouge’s only 2012 Top Performer hospital by the Joint Commission for heart failure, heart attack, surgical care and pneumonia. In 2012, the Leapfrog Group named BRG the city’s only “A”-rated hospital.

Additionally, our hospital has received numerous accreditations, awards and recognition for clinical excellence in oncology, cardiovascular, obstetrics, critical care, burn care, surgery and radiology. We’ve also developed the region’s first Seniors ER, Pennington Cancer Center, Womack Heart Center, and other multimillion-dollar facility expansions for surgical and outpatient care.

BRG was named Hospital of the Year by Louisiana State Nurses Association five times, HHN’s Most Wired hospital for information technology (IT) innovation, and received the Excellence in Diversity award from the Greater Baton Rouge Society for Human Resource Management. And in a quest to cultivate Louisiana’s future clinical leaders, Holman led efforts to establish BRG’s prestigious affiliation with Tulane University School of Medicine. Housed at the Mid City campus, TUSOM’s flagship satellite campus is expected to grow to serve more than 160 medical students each year, making it one of the largest medical school satellite campuses in the U.S.

Holman, 66, said he plans to spend more time with his family and work on his golf game! “I leave Baton Rouge General and General Health System with a great deal of pride in what we have accomplished,” he said. “We have a Board committed to fulfilling our mission, a dedicated medical staff, and employees who are passionate, loyal and very caring.”

Clinical Trial to Develop New Cancer Detection TestsA clinical trial investigating new testing methods to detect cancer is currently underway at Baton Rouge General. The goal of the recently initiated MORD trials to gain new information that will contribute to the development of new tests that will help diagnose cancer and determine the prognosis for cancer patients. The trial is sponsored by the John Wayne Cancer Institute and is being led by Dr. Peter Bostick at Baton Rouge General. The purpose of the study is to develop new tests that detect cancer through comparison of biomarker expression among normal, benign, primary and metastatic tissues as well as blood samples of cancer and healthy patients. Understanding these “markers” will provide clues to individuals’ current and future health, which will assist in determining if analysis of proteins from blood or tissue can be used to monitor the effectiveness of different cancer therapies.

For more information, contact the BRG study coordinator Sheila Easterly, RN, at (225) 237-1672 or [email protected]. Interested in clinical research opportunities at BRG? Contact Tim Richardson, Clinical Trials Office Manager, at (504) 799-4400 ext. 4417 [email protected].

Peter Bostick, MD


EMR Upgrade Technology continues to play an increasingly critical role in healthcare and Baton Rouge General is committed to adopting new health information systems that increase efficiency, enhance quality and patient safety, and importantly, enable our clinicians to spend more time interacting with patients and less time on the computer. With this goal in mind, BRG’s upgrade to McKesson’s Paragon IT system promises to redesign workflows and streamline processes by integrating financial and clinical IT systems across the continuum of care. Physicians, nurses and other clinical staff will eventually be able to access all care areas, including physician orders, patient vitals and medication reconciliation without having to log in and out of multiple systems – providing a complete picture of patients’ medical story. In addition, the new system features a streamlined dashboard with user-friendly visual cues, such as flags to indicate a step has been completed, to enhance efficiency.

The upgraded electronic medical record is scheduled to go live in February 2014. To prepare physicians, nurses and other clinical staff for the transition, BRG will facilitate hospital-wide training courses from November 2013 through February 2014. Stay tuned for more updates and details on training courses.

“As a physician member of the clinical steering team, we worked collaboratively with Clinical Informatics to develop an integrated EMR system that would create enhanced workflow efficiency for all members of the care team with patient safety and quality paramount,” said Dr. S. Raju Vatsavai, Internal Medicine Service Chief.

Contact our Clinical Informatics Physician Liaison at (225) 819-1070 for questions and support.

AdmissionReport

S. Raju Vatsavai, MD

BRGOneVision.org


VIS1ON Editorial CommitteeDr. Andrew Olinde Chief of Staff

Dr. Floyd “Flip” Roberts Chief Medical Officer Dean, Tulane University School of Medicine’s Satellite Campus

Michelle Capone Director, Medical Staff Services

George Bell Senior Vice President, Community Relations

Nicole Kleinpeter Vice President, Marketing and Communications

Maryann Rowland Specialist, Communications and Public Relations

Comments? Story ideas? Email us at [email protected] with questions or to let us know what’s happening in your practice.

In honor of all our valued medical staff members, we launched a special appreciation campaign on Baton Rouge General’s Facebook page during Doctor’s Week – and we received a tremendous outpouring of messages of thanks to our physicians from our community. The campaign reached a record number of more than 42,000 people in our community through our Facebook page!

Thanks to our Medical Staff for all you do for our patients and your dedication to our community of caring.

MD Appreciation Facebook Campaign

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Vision 1st Quarter 2013