Ochsner is recognized by industry experts

These accolades and awards validate our efforts to provide an unparalleled level of care to the people of the Gulf South and beyond, while establishing a benchmark for us to measure our continued success.

We would like to celebrate and thank all physicians who serve on our medical staff, every nurse, technician, and every colleague affiliated with Ochsner Health for your commitment to provide the best care to every patient who comes through our doors.

January 2020

U.S. News & World Report: Ochsner Health’s Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) is among the 19 percent of U.S. skilled nursing facilities recognized as a Best Nursing Home for 2019-2020 by U.S. News & World Report.

American College of Cardiology (ACC) Accreditation for Electrophysiology: The John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Ochsner Medical Center-Electrophysiology (EP) Lab received v1 Accreditation, signifying an operational model that merges the latest science and process improvement methodologies within the EP lab. This accreditation is the result of diligent work by leading electrophysiologists.

Becker’s Healthcare Review: Laura Wilt, SVP and CIO of Ochsner Health was recognized as one of Becker’s 2020 Health System CIOs to Know. The executives featured on this list lead technology and health IT initiatives for hospitals and health systems across the U.S. They oversee EHR installations, cybersecurity, data management and telemedicine services. Many have built robust technology departments and teams, including clinical and non-clinical experts. The individuals and institutions featured here have received recognition from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives, and in many cases their institutions have earned CHIME's HealthCare's Most Wired designation.

Friends of Louisiana Public Broadcasting: Pediatric Cardiologist Terry King, M.D., Ochsner Hospital for Children – Monroe, was named a 2020 Louisiana Legend by the Friends of Louisiana Public Broadcasting. In 1975, Dr. King and Dr. Noel Mills invented the “cardiac umbrella” to close holes in the heart without surgery, and Dr. King was the first to implant the device in humans. This technology forever changed how structural defects in the heart are repaired, both in children and adults.

February 2020

Best Medical Clinic, Tangi Lifestyles: Ochsner Health Center – Tangipahoa took top honors in Tangi Lifestyles magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards, willing in the category of Best Medical Clinic. Dr. Ted Hudspeth was named the parish’s Best Medical Doctor.

Becker’s Healthcare Review: Aimee Quirk, CEO of innovationOchsner and Laura Wilt, SVP and CIO of Ochsner Health, were recognized as part of the online publication’s 2020 list of 70 Women Leaders in Health IT to Know. In addition, Pete November, Executive Vice President of Digital Health and Chief Administrative Officer of Ochsner Health, was recognized as one of Becker’s 20 Hospital and Health System Chief Information Officers to Know in 2020.

New Orleans City Business: Shelley Sullivan Tynan was recognized as part of City Business’ 2020 Leadership in Law class, recognizing area professionals in the field of law for their career and community accomplishments.

March 2020

New Orleans City Business: Started in 2007, Health Care Heroes honors healthcare professionals in the New Orleans area. This year, eight colleagues throughout Ochsner Health and its partner facilities were honored:

• Nurses:
  • Lucy Walker, Slidell Memorial Hospital
• Physicians:
  • Dr. Christy Graves, Slidell Memorial Hospital
  • Dr. Mark Matrana, Ochsner Medical Center
  • Dr. Benjamin B. Peeler, Ochsner Hospital for Children
• Professionals:
  • Joan M. Coffman, St. Tammany Health System
  • David M. Gaines, Ochsner Health
  • Molly Kimball, Ochsner Health
  • Aimee Quirk, iO – Innovation Ochsner

American Society of Anesthesiologists: Ochsner Anesthesiologist George Gilly, M.D., along with Chief Resident Justin Morello, M.D. won second prize at the American Society of Anesthesiologists 2020 Practice Management Conference for their poster, Reducing Intra-Operative Transitions of Care Through Use of Data and an Electronic Physician Scheduling Program. The poster highlighted the 15 percent reduction in transitions of care the OMC-New Orleans anesthesia department was able to demonstrate over a six month period while piloting a new block scheduling system via Lightning Bolt scheduling platform.

New Orleans City Business “Driving Forces”: To mark the publication’s 40^th anniversary, City Business recognized 40 business leaders who have made significant contributions to the economic development of the New Orleans area, including Ochsner President and CEO Warner Thomas. The honorees are noted for having moved our community forward through their energy, innovative ideas, achievements and commitment to excellence.

April 2020

'A' Spring 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade- a national distinction recognizing our hospitals’ achievements protecting patients from harm and providing safer health care. The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization driven by employers and other purchasers of health care committed to improving health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers. The following Ochsner hospitals received this recognition:

• Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center
• Ochsner Medical Center – Hancock
• Ochsner Medical Center – New Orleans
• Ochsner Baptist – A Campus of Ochsner Medical Center
• Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner
• Ochsner Medical Center – Northshore
• Ochsner St. Mary

Dillard University: Dr. Dayna Bolton, a podiatrist at Ochsner Health, and Kim McClaine, AVP of Finance, Ochsner Health and Wellness Solutions, were recipients of Dillard University’s 40 under 40 award. This award honors and acknowledges the accomplishments of the university’s alumni. Each recipient is nominated by their peers and selected based on their professional achievements and commitment to Dillard.

The Arnold P. Gold Foundation: Ochsner Clinical School – The University of Queensland received the Arnold P. Gold Foundation’s highest honor for its Gold Humanism Honor Society with an “Exemplary” ranking. Leaders of the Foundation say this achievement is exceptional, given that the OCS-UQ chapter is considered new. The selection was based on a survey of medical students that indicated increased engagement and empathy within the communities they serve, encouragement for clinician resilience and team building, the teaching of advocacy and leadership skills, and an emphasis on the importance of compassionate care at all levels in the healthcare workplace.

May 2020

Becker’s Healthcare Review: Ochsner Medical Center – New Orleans was recognized in the 2020 edition of the online publication’s “100 Great Hospitals in America.” Hospitals on the list have been recognized nationally for excellence in clinical care, patient outcomes, staff and physician satisfactions. These institutions are industry leaders that have achieved advanced accreditation and certification in several specialties. The list also includes industry innovators that have sparked trends in healthcare technology, hospital management and patient satisfaction.

June 2020

U.S. News & World Report: For the fourth consecutive year, Ochsner Hospital for Children was named among the Top 50 children’s hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice. Ochsner Hospital for Children was recognized in cardiology and heart surgery.

Healthgrades: Healthgrades named St. Tammany Health System one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Spine Surgery, awarded for Spine Surgery Excellence and Spinal Fusion Surgery in its annual performance evaluation of nearly 4,500 hospitals nationwide. In the same survey, Healthgrades awarded STHS the Outstanding Patient Experience and Outstanding Patient Safety awards, for the 12th consecutive year, and awarded STHS five-star ratings for carotid surgery, pacemaker procedures, and treatment of pneumonia, respiratory failure, sepsis and stroke.

New Orleans Advocate/Times Picayune: The local publication identified Ochsner Health as one of 70 Top Places to Work in 2020. Employee surveys conducted to assess outstanding workplaces for this annual competition.

The official rankings will be announced at a later date, and businesses will be featured in a special newspaper section.

New Orleans City Business: Each year, City Business recognizes professionals who have led the way in the construction and real estate segment on its Excellence in Construction & Real Estate list. This year, Jay Britsch, system vice president, facilities was recognized for project management, and Jason Ruggles, assistant vice president for corporate real estate, was recognized for corporate real estate.

New Orleans City Business Readers Choice: Ochsner Medical Center was the top winner for Best Acute Care Hospital, and Ochsner Fitness Center – Harahan was named Best Health & Fitness Center.

Becker’s Healthcare 260+ Telehealth Companies to Know: This online health publication listed Ochsner Care Connect 360 as one of its honorees that have developed health strategies to connect with patients in remote locations, something that has become even more critical amidst the pandemic.

July 2020

U.S. News & World Report: For the ninth consecutive year, Ochsner Medical Center, inclusive of OMC-West Bank and Ochsner Baptist, was ranked #1 in Louisiana and recognized as a Best Hospital for 2021 by U.S. News & World Report, the global authority on hospital rankings and consumer advice. Ochsner was also ranked #1 in the New Orleans metro area and recognized among the best hospitals in Southeast Louisiana. In addition, Ochsner was nationally ranked in the Top 50 for neurology and neurosurgery, and the following specialties were listed as “High Performing”: cancer, gastroenterology and gastroenterology surgery, geriatrics, nephrology and orthopedics. Further, St. Tammany Health System was listed as high-performing for 2020-2021 in the care of COPD and congestive heart failure.

American Hospital Association: Warner Thomas was named as trustee to the American Hospital Association Board. He is one of eight new members to join the AHA Board of Trustees for a three-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2021. The Board of Trustees is the highest policymaking body of the AHA and has the ultimate authority for the governance and management of its directions and finances.

The Lown Institute: Ochsner Medical Center – Baton Rouge earned top honors from this non-partisan healthcare think tank, including:

• #1 Hospital in Louisiana
• Top 50 Hospitals in the Nation
• “Best Hospitals in America” top 20 honor roll in association with Washington Monthly – This is an inaugural award that considered three metrics: quality of care, civic leadership and value of care. For the civic leadership ranking, hospitals were measured the degree to which a hospital treats patients with income and demographics that are in line with the community’s charity care and other benefits.

OMC-Baton Rouge also earned an overall Lown Institute Score of A+, including outstanding results in the following areas:

• 85^th Percentile – Avoiding Overuse: the avoidance of procedures and tests that offer little or no benefit to the patient
• 86^th Percentile – Inclusivity: the extent to which patients reflect the surrounding communities.
• 90^th Percentile – Clinical Outcomes: patient mortality and readmission rates.

Amwell: The telehealth company announced its annual Client awards recognizing organizations that have made exceptional contributions to expand digital care delivery prior to and during the coronavirus pandemic. Ochsner Health was recognized for its agile and swift virtual response to COVID-19.

Institute of Finance and Management (IOFM): Ochsner’s Accounts Payable Department as announced as IOFM’s July 2020 Department of the Month. The team was recognized for stepping up in a big way when faced with unprecedented challenges with technology and equipment due to the work-from-home mandate related to COVID-19. Additionally, market demands relating to PPE required flexibility and timeliness of payment to new vendors while maintaining the processing for its normal invoice volume.

SHPBest Program: Ochsner Home Health of Raceland was recognized by the Strategic Healthcare Programs (SHP) as a “Superior Performer” for achieving an overall patient satisfaction score that ranked in the top 20 percent of all eligible SHP clients for the 2019 calendar year.

August 2020

American Heart Association/American Stroke Association: Six Ochsner Health hospitals have received the Get with the Guidelines (GWTG) – Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award that recognizes the hospitals’ commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence:

• Ochsner Medical Center – New Orleans
• Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner
• Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport
• Slidell Memorial Hospital (partner facility)
• St. Charles Parish Hospital
• St. Tammany Parish Hospital (partner facility)

New Orleans City Business: Two Ochsner colleagues were recognized as 2020 City Business Women of the Year: innovationOchsner (iO) CEO Aimee Quirk and Ochsner Baptist CEO Beth Walker. This award recognizes 50 women from the area whose successes in business and contributions to the community have made them movers and shakers in the region.

September 2020

Press Ganey: Four Ochsner Health hospitals received the 2020 Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award for Patient Experience. This award recognizes top-performing healthcare organizations that have achieved the 95^th percentile or above for patient experience, and is a nationally recognized symbol of achievement in healthcare. Ochsner hospitals receiving recognition:

• Ochsner Baptist, for Patient Experience in Ambulatory Surgery
• Ochsner St. Anne, for Patient Experience in CG CAHPS & Medical Practice
• Ochsner Medical Center – Hancock, for Patient Experience in Medical Practice
• St. Charles Parish Hospital for Patient Experience in Medical Practice.

NDNA Awards: Ochsner continues to set the standard for excellence in healthcare on the Northshore, earning 10 of 20 Northshore District Nurse Association’s 2020 Nursing Excellence Awards. RN Supervisor Kay Sabadie was named the recipient of the Louisiana State Nurses Association 2020 Nightingale Award for Clinical Practice Nurse. Other 2020 NDNA Nursing Excellence Award winners include: Lisa Ruiz (Administrative Coordinator), Amy Avery (Wound Care), Naara Hunter (PCU), Peggy Fortenberry (Outpatient Surgery Suite), Yma Lechler (Med/Surg), Silvia Johnson (Med/Surg), Kaitlyn Ladner (ER), Allison Maestri (Director – Outpatient Surgery Suite), Scott McCain (Anesthesia), and Holly Spath (PI Coordinator).

Dexur: Dexur’s analysis of Medicare claims of hospitals within a 10-mile radius of Slidell, LA, showed that Ochsner Medical Center - NorthShore and Slidell Memorial Hospital had the best value outcomes over a 90-day episode for Sepsis. Dexur’s value analysis tracks a patient’s episode of care from the date of admission for 90 days, including the index hospitalizations, rehospitalization, home health, nursing home, and ED costs. The analysis was risk-adjusted, for alive and non-hospice patients and was done at the DRG level, specifically DRG 871: Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with Major Complication or Comorbidity, to adjust for complications and comorbidities.

IDN Summit: Regine Honore’ Villain, chief supply chain office for Ochsner Health, received the Chuck Lauer Award presented by the IDN Summit & Reverse Expo. The Chuck Lauer Award is given annually to a member of the healthcare supply chain that best embodies the characteristics of its namesake. Those characteristics include selfless care for others, a strong commitment to excellence in work and life, a healthy balance between work and life, eternally optimistic, strong ethical values, and unwavering pride in the United States of America. Villain was among 14 healthcare leaders from across the U.S. nominated for the award this year.

Governmental Accountability Office: Seven new members were appointed to the Governing Board of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCOR), including Eboni Price-Haywood, MD, MPH, FACP, Medical Director, Ochsner Xavier Institute for Health Equity and Research; Professor, Ochsner Clinical School - University of Queensland.

National Academy of Neuropsychology: Beth Arrendondo, AAPP-CN, has been elected president of the National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN). She is a neuropsychologist with the Ochsner Northshore region, and co-director of the Neuropsychology Fellowship Program. Dr. Arredondo begins her president-elect term in 2021 and will serve as president in 2022.

Certified Autism Center: Two St. Tammany Health System pediatric departments are now a Certified Autism Center, a designation granted by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards. The designation means that physicians and staff in the inpatient pediatric unit and pediatric emergency department completed an additional autism-specific training and certification program to improve patient outcomes and experiences.

Continental Who’s Who: Dr. Rajan Patel with Ochsner Medical Center was recognized by Continental Who’s Who (CWW) as a Top Interventional Cardiologist in the field of Medicine. CWW spotlights top professionals in their field each year.

October 2020

Louisiana State Nurses Association: This year, Ochsner Medical Center – New Orleans and Ochsner Medical Center – Baton Rouge were named 2020 Hospitals of the Year by the Louisiana State Nurses Association (LSNA) for large and medium hospitals, respectively. The award honors hospitals that demonstrate recognition of professional nursing and innovation in leadership, within the past year.

Nunez Community College: St. Bernard Parish CEO Kim Keene was presented with the school’s Chancellor’s Vision Award. Nunez Chancellor Dr. Tina Tinney cited Keene’s savvy guidance of SBPH, the hospital’s educational relationship with Nunez’s nursing program and Keene’s invaluable membership on Nunez’s Foundation Board as factors that made Keene the obvious choice for this year’s Chancellor’s Vision Award. Additionally, St. Bernard Parish Hospital and its outstanding team of doctors and nurses have provided exceptional care to the St. Bernard community during one of the greatest public health crises in generations.

BCBS Louisiana: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana named St. Tammany Health System a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip replacement, part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. Blue Distinction Centers are nationally recognized healthcare facilities that show a commitment to delivering high-quality patient safety and better health outcomes, based on objective measures that were developed with input from the medical community and leading accreditation and quality organizations.

Vizient: Vizient Southern States recognized Ochsner Health with two regional Brilliance Awards at this year’s Connections Education Summit Conference. Vizient Southern States is a membership alliance for not-for-profit healthcare providers that provides solutions and services that improve the delivery of high-value care by aligning cost, quality and market performance for its members.

Help.org: Ochsner Addictive Behavior Unit was certified as the Best Drug & Alcohol Treatment Center in New Orleans for 2020. This recognition is due to the center’s provided an exemplary level of care to patients.