Basic HTML Version
Healthcare Journal of new orleans
I
NOV / DEC 2014
63
go online for
eNews updates
HealthcareJournalNO.com
•Georges El Khoury Antoun, MD/Cardiovascular
Disease
•Marco Hidalgo, MD/General Surgery
•Stephanie Hughes, MD/Urology
•Jeremy James, MD/Orthopedic Spine Surgery
•Georges Khoueiry, MD/Cardiovascular Disease
•Jason Rudd, MD/Orthopedic Surgery.
Ochsner Welcomes Back
Endocrine Surgeon
Ochsner welcomes back Adwoa Opoku-Boateng,
MD, FACS, to its surgery department. Dr. Opoku-
Boateng is fellowship-trained in endocrine surgery,
one of only two such specialized surgeons in the
state of Louisiana.
Dr. Opoku-Boateng specializes in the treatment of
thyroid cancer, thyroid disease, adrenal gland dis-
orders, parathyroid disorders, and advanced stage
cancer through minimally invasive surgical and lapa-
roscopic techniques.
She attended Loma Linda University School of
Medicine and completed her internship and res-
idency at Ochsner Clinic Foundation. She then
worked for several years as an acute care and gen-
eral surgeon at Ochsner before completing a fel-
lowship in endocrine surgery through a combined
program of the Medical College of Wisconsin, Duke
University and University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Report Shows Economic
Importance of Hospitals
Louisiana hospitals, while providing vital and nec-
essary medical services in the communities they
serve, are major economic agents within the state.
They generate more than $29.9 billion annually in
economic activity and directly employ more than
98,000 people, according to a new report, “Hospi-
tals and the Louisiana Economy, 2014,” released by
the Louisiana Hospital Association.
The LHA retained Dr. James A. Richardson, Alumni
Professor of Economics at Louisiana State Univer-
sity, to provide an analysis of the economic impact
of the hospital industry on the Louisiana economy
and metropolitan areas within the state.
According to the report, the healthcare sector in
Louisiana employs 285,950 Louisiana residents with
a payroll of more than $10.9 billion. Hospitals provide
jobs for 98,224 people with an annual payroll of more
than $4.62 billion, accounting for approximately 35
percent of the total employees and 42.2 percent of
the total healthcare sector payroll.
Dr. Richardson explains in the report that the “eco-
nomic benefits of the hospital industry expand far
beyond the doors of the hospitals and the people
directly employed by these facilities.” From 2012 to
2013, Louisiana hospitals averaged about $870mil-
lion in building construction, leading to the creation
of more than 14,000 new jobs yearly in sectors other
than healthcare.
The report also noted how Medicaid cuts nega-
tively impact hospitals and the community. In Lou-
isiana, for every 38 cents the state spends on the
Medicaid program, Louisiana receives approximately
62 cents from the federal government. Medicaid-
related hospital expenditures create and support
over 48,000 jobs, and generate over $137.5 million
of state tax collections and $117.8 million of local
tax collections.
According to Richardson, because of this federal
match, the impact of the state reducing its direct
expenditures for Medicaid by $150million would be
a loss of an additional $245 million of federal dol-
lars for an overall reduction of $395 million in state
funds; a loss of approximately 8,144 jobs statewide;
and a reduction in personal earnings of $329 mil-
lion. This would lead to a reduction in overall busi-
ness transactions of $800 million.
The Report Highlights document also includes a
series of responses from the 2014 LHAAnnual Hos-
pital Survey about the effects of current market con-
ditions on hospitals. Of the hospitals surveyed:
•80% have seen an increase in emergency room
visits for uninsured patients;
•75% have seen a decrease in patient account
collections; and
•57% have seen a decrease in elective surgeries.
Hospitals have made or are considering the follow-
ing changes in order to cut costs because of current
market conditions:
•60% reduced patient services, and 33% are con-
sidering reducing services;
•31% eliminated vacant positions, and 35% are
considering it;
•13%have reduced community benefit programs,
and another 16% are considering it; and
•9% halted construction, equipment purchases
and other projects, and 20% are considering it.
Gala Benefits Cancer
Services and Research
Ochsner Health System invites you to party under
the stars on the turf of the Superdome at the Moon-
light & Miracles Gala on Friday, November 14! This
year’s theme is “Seeing theWhole Spectrum”which
recognizes all forms of cancer through various rib-
bon colors. Funds raised will benefit the Ochsner
Cancer Institute, the largest nonprofit system in the
Gulf South region to provide multidisciplinary care
for adult and pediatric cancer patients.
The annual event includes a cocktail reception,
seated dinner, and entertainment by Tonya Boutte,
Ronnie Kole, and Jessie’s Girls. A live auction will fea-
ture trips, jewelry, and more. And, one lucky guest
will drive away in a brand new Mercedes-Benz that
will be raffled off that night.
Tickets to Ochsner’s Moonlight & Miracles Gala
begin at $500, which includes the cocktail party and
seated dinner as well as a ticket to the Patron Party
featuring a special performance by Better Than Ezra.
To purchase tickets for the event or the raffle or
for additional information, please visit www.ochsner.
org/miraclesgala or call 504-842-7117.
STPH Names DiPietro CFO
Sandra DiPietro has been promoted to senior vice
president and chief financial officer of St. Tammany
Parish Hospital.
DiPietro previously served as controller at STPH
since 1995 and has been with the hospital since
1994, when she was hired as a senior accountant for
budget and reimbursement. Before that, she served
as a senior auditor for Ernst & Young and assistant
manager of financial accounting for International
Shipholding Corp.
West Jefferson Receives
Award for Cardiac Care
West Jefferson Medical Center (WJMC) has
received the American College of Cardiology’s
NCDR ACTION Registry–GWTG Platinum Perfor-
mance Achievement Award for 2014.West Jefferson
is one of only 256 hospitals nationwide to receive
the honor.
To receive the ACTION Registry–GWTG Platinum
Performance Achievement Award, West Jefferson
Medical Center consistently followed the treatment
guidelines in the ACTION Registry–GWTG Premier
for eight consecutive quarters and met a perfor-
mance standard of 90 percent for specific perfor-
mance measures. Full participation in the registry
engages hospitals in a robust quality improvement
Sandra DiPietro