Excellence Fund

In 2018, donors made 19 innovative projects possible!

Early intervention significantly improves the prognosis for children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but it can be difficult for families to connect to the resources they need. The Development of the ABA Community Referral Database at the Michael R. Boh Center for Child Development will create the region's first automatic referral resource, linking screened and approved providers who are available and convenient to the patient.

The Camino Intracranial Pressure Monitor will assist in the evaluation of patients with headaches suspected to be related to abnormal intracranial pressures or traumatic brain injuries. Continuous monitoring with accurate data and strong teamwork will help ensure the best possible outcome for patients while creating efficiencies for nurses.

Blood flow restriction (BFR) therapy has been shown to be a safe and effective way of regaining strength early in the rehab process without putting unnecessary stress or strain on the body. With the addition of two Delfi BFR units, Ochsner Therapy and Wellness will be one of the only hospital based centers to offer such cutting edge treatment while utilizing the gold standard in BFR equipment.

The Excellence Fund will support Child Life coverage in the Boh Center Developmental Assessment Clinic, providing children an opportunity to engage with a professional trained in early childhood development while parents speak privately with clinicians during intake and feedback sessions.

Through the Improving Acute Respiratory Tract Illness Encounters research project, the team at the Center for Primary Care and Wellness will study how corticosteroid injections used during acute respiratory tract illness (ARTI) encounters affect patients in ambulatory care.

The Sonosite Ultrasound System, will allow anesthesiologists to provide peripheral nerve blocks that make patients more comfortable during procedures while reducing the need for post-operative narcotics and lowering the risk of chronic pain.

Augmentative Communication uses technology to assist patients who are unable to speak with their providers and empower them to participate in the own medical care and decision making. With the purchase of two IPADs and the necessary software applications, patients will have the opportunity to be more active in their medical management.

Lumify offers an exceptional portable ultrasound that works with a tablet or other smart device. The pediatric physician on call can carry the device in a coat pocket and perform an immediate assessment during codes and times of critical patient care.

Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in men. Early detection is key, and the Prostate Triplane Transducer will allow Ochsner to screen men more efficiently for prostate cancer in the hopes of catching malignant tumors sooner.

Replacing a standard clinic table with an Echo table will reduce the need for patient repositioning during echocardiograms, offering comfort to post-operative patients and expectant moms who may find lying flat or movement difficult.

One in four children in the United States suffers from a vision problem. If these problems are severe enough, they can be risk factors for lazy eye, the most common cause for childhood vision loss. A portable vision screen test will give pediatricians a quick and accurate screening solution for infants and pre-school and school age children.

An Arm Ergometer will allow cardiac rehab patients with impaired lower limb capacity to participate more actively in rehab care.

An enhanced pulmonary rehab system will facilitate individualized treatment plans based on real-time, accurate data. The new system will also help the department achieve certification from the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehab.

SAEBO equipment will provide better treatment opportunities for recent surgical patients at Chabert including safe movement for post-operative patients and early intervention for neurological and orthopedic patients with difficulty moving limbs.

The Comfort Ability protocol will help improve adolescent pain management by improving individual coping skills and decreasing pain-related stress through a group-based therapy model. The program teaches teens, caregivers, and parents alternative strategies for coping with chronic pain.

Adult, school age, infant and neonatal airway training mannequins will be used in a difficult airway course developed for Ochsner and community providers.

Virtual reality headsets and software will help further the use of existing and future digital 3D models for general surgery. The anatomic models will assist in more in-depth case discussions, operative planning and patient and resident education.

Virtual reality headsets will help oncology patients undergoing therapy by reducing side effects and fatigue and improving patient wellbeing and outcomes.

In coordination with the 3D virtual reality lab at Ochsner, the purchase of virtual reality software and equipment will improve Ochsner's ability to communicate health care data to patients and families while offering educational and training opportunities to staff.

In 2017, donors made 21 innovative projects possible!

Upgrade of 3D Printing for Medical Education capacity through software, training, printing material and server. There is growing interest across specialties for 3D printing to help with surgical planning and patient education.

Funding toward the cost of a 3-D Printer within Cardiology. 3D printing will remove some of the complexities in planning and simulating complex surgeries addressing congenital heart disease.

Provide a Bedside Diagnostic Tool for Dizziness and Vertigo Symptoms. The ICS Impulse goggles are a diagnostic device that will allow clinicians to better diagnose the cause of dizziness, often an ambiguous diagnosis made after years of searching and consultations by the patient. Service is less invasive, more cost-effective and more accurate.

Breast Cancer Survivorship Camaraderie Project that will expand the information and tools provided to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients from a simple binder to a branded tote that includes binder and other items for breast cancer patient care. Promotes camaraderie and sense of community among Tansey patients through support groups, chemo bandanas etc.

Video cameras to enhance Cancer Services Lean Project evaluation of clinic efficiency in the cancer center.

Improve Chabert Cath Lab Patient Satisfaction through televisions for pre-op and recovery rooms to enhance the patient experience.

Introduce Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation (Coolief) for Pain Management. This recently FDA-approved pain management option for chronic pain, specifically associated with spine, hip and knee (chronic knee osteo-arthritis) is a minimally invasive service.

Funding to launch COPD/Asthma Digital Medicine program by funding smart-inhalers needed to provide flow of data from patients to Ochsner. Will cover an initial 250 patients.

The Cuddle Cot supports a family's grieving process with their infant as it gently cools the infant's body, extending the time parents may spend at their infant's bedside.

Enhance the pediatric liver transplant program through the Evaluation of Neurocognitive Deficits in Pediatric Liver Transplant Patients pre and post op.

Functional Medicine 5 day course-Implementing GYN Functional Medicine: Physician education for Dr. Liz Lapeyre in Functional Medicine, which incorporates genetic science and biology focusing on the patient and how their environment and lifestyle influence their disease. This will improve care in Women's Health and Wellness and the Women's Cancer Survivorship Centers. There are few practitioners in our region trained in Functional Medicine.

H.O.P.E. (Healing Optimization through Pre-operative Engagement) pilot "prehabilitation" program that educates and engages preoperative patients to have better post-operative outcomes, shorter stays and reduced complications and readmissions.

Pilot Home Infusion Program for Acute Migraines to provide therapeutic home infusions for 50 acute migraine sufferers and demonstrate proof of concept. Hope is to reduce migraine-related ED visits and hospitalizations.

King-Devick Testing for the Ochsner Concussion Management Program to enhance current concussion management for student athletes with the King-Devick tool, developed by the Mayo Clinic. Significant improvement is on-the-field evaluation rather than the current practice of athlete waiting to visit clinic. The system not only checks baseline and post injury, but monitors progress and provides vision based therapy to provide therapy new to the region.

Making Patient Care Better Through the use of Augmentative & Alternative Communication using high-tech communication devices that will allow therapists at 6 locations to help patients communicate more robustly after a stroke or despite neuromuscular limitations. The device allows a patient to respond with his or her own thoughts rather than a pre-programmed response, increasing engagement and connection.

Neonatal Transport Hypothermia Treatment: Our NICU team provides therapeutic hypothermia treatment, but our neonatal transport team does not have the equipment to provide this in transport. The cooling therapy is a life-saving and brain-saving therapy for the 50-90% of infants with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy we see who are transported from other facilities.

OMC-BR Pathology TeleMed camera to allow for real-time consultation with New Orleans pathologist, reducing errors, transport costs and delays and turnaround time for diagnoses. Camera will also be used for BR Tumor Conference for provider education.

Pediatric Simulation Task Trainer Acquisition for lumbar puncture and vascular access will be used in the ED, PICU, inpatient Pediatric setting in coordination with the Sim Center provide a safe way for learners to practice and improve at high-risk procedures in simulated settings.

Prenatal Education initiative at OMC-Kenner to enhance pre-natal and post-natal education and care with both English and Spanish language offerings that include written materials, models and specialized "Teach-With-Stories" tools for low-literacy participants.

The Trauma Man Simulator is a state of the art simulator that will assist the emergency department in developing skills for acute intervention and management of ED scenarios.

Using Simulation to Deliver Ultrasound Training for Patient Safety through the Laerdal SonoSim Solution Package, which will provide ultrasonography for Sim Center simulations in the training of physicians, nurses, techs, medical students, etc. across multiple specialties.

In 2016, donors made 25 innovative projects possible!

Aerodynamic Measures of Voice through the use of a PAS machine that will assist in measuring the patients progress with voice and respiratory functions and provide biofeedback to the patient and family to engage them in the process. This equipment will also be useful for collecting patient data for research.

The inaugural Annual Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Picnic will encourage family bonding with each other as resources and a support network while celebrating the successes of the program.

Pilot of Baby Safe Sleep Boxes to engage and educate parents and give them supplies for creating a safe sleep environment for their baby. The program includes the online community for peer support and resources and the box can be repurposed for play or storage after the child outgrows it.

Replace Bassinets at Baptist in Mother Baby with state of the art bassinets that adjust to the height of the mother's bed, enhancing opportunities for mother-baby bonding and care.

Building a Comprehensive Metabolic Program through the purchase of a device that will be used in the new bariatric medicine clinic component of bariatrics, which was until now a strictly surgical program. The device provides metabolic analysis that will give clinicians more tools to suggest the best weight loss solution for the patient.

Online CovePoint Educational Resource for Pediatric and Adult Congenital Heart Disease. This resource is a robust, organized source of information on the full spectrum of congenital heart disease lesions and treatments and is geared to not only caregivers but patient families so that they may better understand their child's diagnosis and treatment options. There are tutorials, an image library, prepared PowerPoint slides for provider use, and other tools available.

Pilot Dermatology Telemedicine Consults project using 3 handheld cameras in 3 primary care clinics. Primary care providers can photograph or videotape a patient's rash, lesion, etc. and upload it to the patient’s record for prescreening by a dermatologist to determine if a referral to a specialist is warranted or if it can be treated by the primary care clinic.

Assist with Equipment Needs for the Slidell Endocrine Clinic including a Body Comp device to better assess body fat and body fat distribution as well as a MedGem device for evaluating metabolic rate. If possible, also provide bariatric chairs in exam rooms to increase patient comfort.

Support purchase of Heidelberg Widefield Lens. This lens detects and monitors peripheral changes in the eye and will enhance patient education and engagement by showing progress and monitoring monthly injections and laser treatments.

Provide High definition Video Cameras for Monitoring Studies in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit. These High definition cameras capture seizures and seizure-like events for diagnostic review by caregivers and educational review with family members to discuss nature of disease. Current cameras are not high definition and provide less than ideal imaging, often extending time needed for good images and providing an image that may be useful for diagnosis but is not helpful in discussing seizures with patient and families.

Implementation of Supportive Care Services Program through supportive care services and programs for BR patients and families fighting cancer. Includes yoga mats and equipment, marketing and educational materials, massage therapist, yoga instructors, nutritional educator etc. These programs support patient and family and engage them in therapeutic and stress relieving options that may be out of reach financially.

Provide Mirror Medical Imaging Software. This imaging software program formulates more accurate outcomes for patients and their family members when reconstructive surgery is necessary for patients. In addition to the clinic, surgeon and Medical photography, other specialties will have access to use this software.

Provide Mouthpiece for Operating Microscope to give provider ability to continually focus during cranial procedures, providing better quality operative video for resident education and for reviewing with families to understand disease and treatment. This is a gold standard at elite neurological surgical training centers.

Equipment and training to implement 14 Day Neuro-Integrative Functional Rehabilitation and Habilitation (Neuro-IFRAH). This approach to stroke rehabilitation in Acute, Post-Acute, and Outpatient maximizes functional outcomes.

Provide four Nezzie Patient Ambulation Devices to help patients with early ambulation by facilitating all of the tubes, equipment, monitors, etc. that inhibit patient's early mobility.

Parents Empowering Every Parent (PEEPs) peer mentoring program and access to online resources for NICU families to empower parents and neonates to engage in their child's care in the NICU and to have confidence and a network of support upon discharge.

35 touch screen tablets for Patient Driven Mobile Technology to facilitate patient data entry in various neurology clinics to better assess conditions, collect data for Neurology Based Practice Research Network (NBPRN) projects and engage patients more fully in care. Ochsner is one of 11 facilities across country in the NBPRN, which was recognized as one of the most promising practices in Neurology Today.

Patient-Centered Functional Restoration Pilot Program for Chronic Pain which will provide treadmills, elliptical trainers, multi-station weight machines and dumbells for a Functional Restoration Pilot serving chronic pain patients in Interventional Pain Management. The program would be the first of its kind in Louisiana and would help patients with pain coping techniques and rehab strategies in order to return to productive lifestyle at home and at work without need for future treatment or pain pills/opiods.

Installation of Playground for Interdisciplinary Therapy. This adaptive, wheelchair accessible enclosed playground will assist with the development and assessment of children's gross and fine motor skills, language and social skills in an exciting way since most of the children have not had the opportunity to be on a playground due to their unique pediatric needs.

Optovue I Retinal Eye Camera would provide diabetic patients in the Endocrinology clinic to have non-dilated eye exams jointly with their visits within a matter of minutes. This reduces the burden of the patients that are unable to schedule eye exams, reduces the cost for patients, and can increase our exam scores especially since diabetes is the number 1 cause of blindness.

RT 300 Supine Leg Cycler will provide cycling for patients with critical health issues in ICU and bariatric patients for 20 minute sessions. This machine allows the patients with prolonged bed rest to receive passive, active-assisted, and active-resistive exercise to strengthen their muscle mass to decrease its loss even if they are sedated. Will help reduce the some of the physical impairments that sometimes last for some patients up to a year after they are discharged.

Single Ventricle Home Monitoring Program equipment will allow children with ventricle defects to be monitored at home safely during the most critical stages between surgeries with the proper equipment and education to the parents and caregivers.

Therapeutic use of Stroke Hero Stories and pictures to describe a patient's stroke healing journey to engage them, their families, and other patients along their stroke journeys. This would include patients of all backgrounds and will highlight the impact strokes have on the patients, their families and the community.

Expansion of Teaching our Women the ABC's of D(iet), E(xercise), and F(itness)! An Ochsner Centering Pregnancy Program that will provide low-income patients with affordable dieting information, a collaborative cookbook and price lists, exercise equipment in the waiting rooms and the tools needed to understand and assist with fitness.

Using 3D Printing to Help Patients Understand their Neurological Diseases may aid in the communication of complex health care data (specifically neuroadiographic information) to patients, aid providers in formulating care plans, assist proceduralists with plan interventions and increase patient and family engagement in care. This will improve patient comprehension and satisfaction and educate residents.

In 2015, donors made 30 innovative projects possible!

Bioness Integrated Therapy System: Rehabilitation therapy tool that tracks patient progress and can be tailored to a wide variety of therapy goals for various disabilities from traumatic injuries and movement disorders as well as competitive athletic injuries.

Chair Side Trays for Outpatient Infusion Center: Side tables for outpatient chemotherapy infusion chairs in Slidell to improve patient comfort, convenience, and satisfaction.

Cinemavision Goggles for MRI: MRI goggles that allow adult and pediatric patients to watch a video while getting an MRI to reduce anxiety and give patients peace of mind.

Complementary Therapy to Improve Pain Quality for Medical Surgical Patients: Give nurses easy access to therapy for pain management that acts in concert with other treatment plans of hand massage for patients on rolling carts. Part of innovative, nursing driven BITE pain initiative.

CoughAssist Device: Device assists with cough clearing and can allow patient with neuromuscular disease or muscle control to avoid respiratory failure, hospitalization, and possible tracheostomy.

Difficult IV Stick Initiative: Four Veinlite units for inpatient and outpatient Endoscopy unit to reduce the number of needle sticks when starting IVs, improve patient experience, reduce fear and anxiety, and reduce costs due to multiple sticks and wasted supplies.

Educational Surgical Video Series: Fiberoptic camera for surgical headlight to create surgeon’s eye view of procedures, create video series for patients who want to understand their procedures and for nurses and medical students.

Endoscopic Doppler: Assessment tool for indications of successful endoscopic treatments of ulcers and possible delayed bleeding events.

Enhancing the New Mother’s Experience: Lactation lounge for new mothers (patients and employees) to promote Kangaroo care and breastfeeding. This enhances OMC-BR’s leadership in Women’s Services and Baby Friendly status across the region.

Fundus Camera for the Northshore Region: Fundus camera will improve patient care for diabetes, glaucoma, macular degeneration and other diagnoses and complications in Slidell.

Having The Conversation: Using Peer-Reviewed Multimedia to Facilitate End Of Life Care: Evidence-based multimedia training for new providers across Palliative Medicine and Critical Care Medicine.

ImPACT Concussion Management Program: Concussion management tool software for area college athletic programs.

ImproveCareNow—A Collaborative Approach to the Care for Pediatric IBD: This would make Ochsner the first center in Louisiana on the ImproveCareNow network for pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease. ImproveCareNow is a health network that uses scientific data to drive improvements for kids with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis by analyzing results from patient visits and sharing data.

Intragrastric Balloon for Weight Loss: Training for Dr. Richardson and Dr. Wooldridge for new weight loss procedure expected to be approved by the FDA soon.

Kenner Fire Department and EMT Coordination: Innovative partnership pilot with Kenner Fire Department EMTs to visit high risk patients at home to identify issues, enhance communication, and intervene as appropriate.

Mobile Training Team for Obstetrics Emergencies: Mobile Noelle simulator for training Kenner staff on obstetric emergencies as well as other facilities without mother-baby services, such as River Parishes, where obstetric emergencies are high risk, low frequency events.

NESS H200 Wireless Upper Extremity Rehabilitation System: Rehab system to improve hand function and treat upper extremity impairments resulting from stroke.

NICU Ochsner Human Milk Bank: Pasteurizer for human milk bank at Baptist. The Ochsner Milk Bank will be the first milk bank in Louisiana and will supply breastmilk to critically ill infants at Ochsner facilities and other facilities throughout the region.

NICView - Westbank: Web cameras for Westbank that allow parents and family members to see their infant remotely while in the NICU.

Ochsner Patient Accident Respect Kit (OchPARK): Pilot of courtesy kit program for patients who may have had a personal accident on campus, intended for our patients learning how to use a colostomy, experiencing post-radiation or post-operative diarrhea, or having incontinence.

Ochsner Centering Pregnancy – OCP: Innocating Maternal Child Health: Group prenatal care at Ochsner St. Charles clinic to improve infant outcomes in concert with the Strong Start program.

Otto Ostomy: Ostomy Teaching Models: Realistic, life-size models to teach patients and nurses how to care for different ostomies.

Patient and Family Activities: Pilot project to create three carts filled with games, toys, puzzle books, playing cards, and other activities for outpatient waiting rooms and inpatient units. Increase satisfaction and possibly address pain management by providing pleasant distraction.

Patient Safety and Occupational Exposure Reduction to Radiation: Allows caregiver to position patient safely without supporting patient during radiation, reducing radiation exposure of staff and increasing patient safety.

Pediatric Urology Bladder Scan for the Pediatric Pavilion: Non-invasive technique for pediatric patients that is less traumatic and lowers risk of infection due to a catheterization.

Pelvic Floor Center PT Equipment: Pelvic floor physical therapy equipment, training for two PT providers to become knowledgeable with the equipment, and three iPads for patient instruction.

Pupillometers for Neuro Critical Care: Advanced technology for assessing neurocritically ill patients, including stroke patients.

Room of the Future: Innovative project to evaluate state of the art furnishings, innovations, and equipment such as lifts, lighting, communication improvements, etc. for the tower expansion project and future patient rooms.

Speech Pathology: SpeechVive Device for People with Hypophonia and Parkinson’s Disease: Demonstration device and programming equipment for a device for Parkinson’s patients to improve speech by increasing loudness and overall clarity.

In 2014, donors made 34 innovative projects possible!

Establish an Adolescent and Young Adults Cancer Clinic to meet the special needs of these patients, which are often not fully met by traditional adult or pediatric programs.

Provide funding for Body Weight Supported Gait Training with Lite Gait rehab equipment, which assists in establishing natural gait in therapy. It is best known for use with patients who have neurological conditions.

Facilitate integration of Bright Future for Ochsner for Children pediatric program into EPIC by providing iPads for patients to complete questionnaires at clinic.

Expansion of CHOP (Cooking Up Healthy Options and Portions) to one middle school and through community partners through 2 existing CHOP-in-a-Box toolkits and 1 new toolkit making a difference in the lives of at least 280 children.

Accelerate and improve the care of unstable critical care patients through Critical Moments: Point of Care Ultrasound by assessing them with a handheld ultrasound device at the point of care, often avoiding unnecessary tests and procedures and improving patient safety and outcomes.

Development of the Center for Interdisciplinary Simulation Training (CIST) by outfitting a teaching area and skills area on the 4th floor for the Noelle simulator so that this tool can be used at Baptist for interdisciplinary training.

Purchase a system to begin Digitizing and Cataloging the Ochsner Archives Collection in anticipation of the 75th anniversary.

Enhance Research Interest and Academic Productivity Among Ochsner Trainees by funding the transition of the existing "Senior Trip" to a national medical conference or meeting for residents in their final year of study to the first year of study when the learning from the trip could benefit Ochsner and fellow Ochsner residents.

Purchase equipment for instrumentation of ENT-BAHA or bone attached hearing aid to enable physicians to provide BAHA as an option for patients who are not good candidates for hearing aids.

Provide supplies for a Paintfest session at Ochsner to engage patients and improve visual experience through ceiling tiles, murals for windows and other Healing Art installations.

Equipment purchase for Holmium Laser, which would enable patients who enter OMC-BR with urethral stones to have them removed on the same day. Today, patients must receive palliative care and return for treatment when OMC-BR has contracted equipment on hand.

Purchase Imaging Center Blanket Warmer to increase patient comfort in the chilly environment, allowing staff to take time with them, allay concerns and get the best diagnostic images.

Incorporating Personalized Digital Assistant (PDA) Technology in the Urology Clinic by developing an app interface and purchasing 18 iPads for use across 3 urology clinics to improve patient satisfaction and education.

Purchase 6 iPads as well as Sight Selector patient education tool, ophthalmology videos and 3D images on common eye conditions for use in patient visits to provide Interactive Ophthalmology Patient Education at the Point of Care.

Provide the latest technology for wound care for Deep Tissue Injury (DTI) using Mist Therapy by Celleration for Accelerated Wound Healing to deliver ultrasounds.

Increase patient comfort and decrease anxiety with MRI Sound System to pipe in music throughout MRI scan, allowing tech to get better images and patient to have a better experience.

Provide MRI Wrist Coil device, which improves ability to get a clear image when diagnosing wrist injuries in orthopedics.

Ochsner Northshore - Corneal Topography imaging will assist in diagnosis and treatment of vision and corneal health and will allow patients to be cared for at the Slidell clinic rather than being sent to Covington for imaging.

Funding to provide Ochsner Northshore - Neuroscience Institute Covered Entrance.

Funding to revise and update three Ochsner Orthopedic Surgery iPhone and iPad Apps that deal with outcomes and treatment options for orthopedic surgery patients.

Ochsner Sports Medicine Concussion Management Project would make the ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) tool available to all of the schools Sports Medicine serves with Athletic Training Outreach for one year.

Software upgrade to provide OMC-Jeff Hwy Gastroenterology with Esophageal Manometry Equipment, bringing them up to date on this critical diagnostic tool for esophageal spasm.

Patient and Family Cell Phone Charging Stations throughout OMC-NO for the convenience of patients and families.

Funding will allow Pediatric Liver Transplant Hands-on-Training for a pediatric gastroenterologist with leading program at King’s College, London.

Positive pressure ventilation with HEPA filtration and double entry to create Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant Unit.

Pediatric Unit Treatment Room Renovations to improve the 4th floor pediatric unit treatment room, making it a "safe" space for pediatric patients that are both coping and healing during invasive procedures.

Funding for a Perioperative Team-Building Interactive Workshop. This multi-disciplinary training and team-building day for 20 Ochsner physicians and leaders with Dr. Lynn Gillette of Sierra Nevada College will improve teamwork and communication among these team members, resulting in better outcomes and patient safety and satisfaction.

Persyst Software identifies abnormal brain activity, maps it longitudinally, and eliminates artifacts (from a patient moving or a loose lead during the test) from EEG recordings, providing reliable data to use in diagnosing epilepsy. Physicians are able to read EEGs in a shorter amount of time and with fewer errors, leading to more timely patient care and making it possible for Ochsner to expand our remote EEG reading services.

Film production of a Salt Education video to be used with heart failure patients to educate them about hidden salt and hopefully reduce readmission of congestive heart failure patients. This will enhance the current pilot project to reduce admission and readmission of these patients.

Endoscope and da Vinci hardware to allow BR to provide Single Site Laparoscopy “scarless” robotic abdominal procedures.

The purchase of a Digital Retinography System-Non-mydriatic Fundcas camera will allow Ochsner to develop a Telehealth diabetic eye screening service that will help prevent blindness due to diabetes.

Validation of Hand-Held Spirometer to Monitor Pulmonary Function After Lung Transplantation allowing lung transplant patients to monitor their pulmonary function at home and log the results so that acute pulmonary events are detected early. This increases patients’ engagement in their care and improves patient outcomes.

Provide Verion Image Guided System for Cataract Surgery. This advanced surgical planning tool for implanting intraocular lenses will improve results by automating the current manual process of aligning astigmatisms and eliminates the possibility of poorly centered lenses, improving patient satisfaction and outcomes.

Develop Web App for Ochsner OB Patients. This pregnancy app, which can be accessed on smartphones, will include a link to MyOchsner, frequently asked questions, physician bios, department highlights, etc.

In 2013, donors made 17 innovative projects possible!

AccuView pH-Z program will help improve results and outcomes for pre and post op-lung transplant patients.

Cardia Rehabilitation Equipment will expand availability for high quality rehab resources such as treadmills, elliptical machines, recumbent bikes and upright bikes for patients rehabilitating after a cardiac event.

A Cobalt Source for the West Bank gamma camera will improve quality and efficiency for our nuclear medicine team and their patients.

Colposcope and Ultrasound for Lakeview OB/GYN will allow physicians to address abnormal pap smears and weak fetal tones at this neighborhood clinic, rather than asking patients to go to OMC-Jefferson Highway for additional appointments.

Cooling Blankets in the Emergency Department at Ochsner Baptist will help lower brain temperature for cardiac arrest patients, possibly helping to increase chances of survival and/or reduce the risk of severe brain damage.

Electrophysiology Imaging equipment will reduce wait time for intracardiac ultrasound appointments for heart patients.

LUCAS devices, or mechanical CPR machines, will be provided for all Ochsner Emergency Departments. These machines improve care and survival rates of cardiac arrest patients by providing more efficient and effective chest compressions than a human caregiver can provide.

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) equipment will give Ochsner the ability to conduct OCT scans, which measure the thickness of the lining at the back of the eye (the retina). Thinning of this area can reveal the earliest signs of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) damage.

Palatometer – Smart Palate Device provides visual feedback to a patient with speech pronunciation problems who cannot hear or feel the difference between a correct or incorrect tongue position.

PICU Central Line Project will make ultrasound guided placement of central lines possible and help to decrease the risk of infection and complications for patients.

Privacy Curtains for the pediatric floor at Ochsner will improve patient and family comfort during their stay.

Serenity Rooms will be created at Ochsner Medical Center – Jefferson Highway by renovating space to provide a healing, tranquil space on the busy hospital floor.

SimMan 3G Patient Simulator, a learning tool for Anesthesiology residents and fellows in training, will simulate anesthesia complications for residents, medical students and fellows, helping to improve surgical patient safety.

35 Sofa Sleepers in the pediatric hospital rooms will be replaced, providing a more comfortable experience for parents and caregivers who spend the night with their little patients in the hospital.

Telemedicine Program Expansion Project will upgrade telemedicine carts at all seven Ochsner Emergency Departments, allowing Ochsner to build on the award-winning telestroke program and expand to provide other telemedicine services throughout the region.

Total Pancreatectomy and AutoIslet Transplantation for Chronic Pancreatitis is an innovative procedure for patients with significant, life altering chronic pancreatitis. The Excellence Fund will fund equipment that allows Ochsner to initiate the service, becoming the only site in the Louisiana/Mississippi/Arkansas region to offer this pioneering program.

Volumetrics and 3D Modeling Software: This software allows volumetrics and 3D modeling for surgical visualization as planning, which is key in developing image-guided surgery programs for living donor liver transplantation and hepatobiliary surgical oncology.