HJNO Nov/Dec 2019

Healthcare Journal of New Orleans I  NOV / DEC 2019 35 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalNO.com Quality Collaborative. This group works with and supports its 36 member hospitals to support them through the identification and implementation of best practices. The Quality Collaborative con- nects participating hospitals with subject-matter experts and national initiatives.  The summit featured national and international leaders on maternal mortality, including global maternal health advocate Christy Turlington Burns, Louisiana Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rebekah Gee, and Dr. Gwyneth Lewis, the for- mer national clinical leader for maternity services for the United Kingdom’s National Health Service. Gov. John Bel Edwards opened the summit by noting the importance of the collaborative, which operates under the Louisiana Commission on Perinatal Care and Prevention of Infant Mortality. “The Department of Health, with Dr. Gee’s lead- ership, is obviously actively working to improve maternal health outcomes, and as I mentioned, their efforts are starting to show promise already,” Edwards said during his remarks. “As governor, I’m committed to doing everything I can to make sure 100 percent of our facilities are putting in place the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health best practices, which we know will save lives.” Secretary Gee highlighted the importance of elevating work related to racial equity and patient engagement. “The women of our society are the bedrock, the foundation,” Gee said. “No one should die in the State of Louisiana giving life.” Breakout sessions included legislative strate- gies to reduce maternal mortality; redesigning maternity care to meet birthing needs; strategies to address the leading causes of mortality, hemor- rhage, and hypertension; and recommendations for immediate and long-term action. Tulane Institute of Sports Medicine Offers Student- AthleteWalk-In Clinic The Tulane Institute of Sports Medicine (TISM) high school athlete walk-in clinic is open two days a week this fall to help prevent, diagnose, and treat students with sports-related injuries. “The goal is to keep our student-athletes healthy. But when they do experience an injury, we want to get them off the sideline back to the game as quickly and safely as possible,” said Dr. Felix “Buddy” Savoie, a Tulane sports med- icine and orthopedic expert. “A fast recovery is more likely if we assess the athlete in the clinic as quickly possible, which is why we have two walk- in clinic sessions each week during the fall sports season.” The TISM high school athlete walk-in clinic is open every Saturday and Wednesday through Nov. 16 at the main clinic located on the Tulane University campus at 202 Janet Yulman Way, New Orleans. Student-athletes can stop by without an appointment and be seen on Wednesdays from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8-10 a.m. Appointments are also available throughout the week. LSUHealth NO Awarded $13M for Expanded Cancer Clinical Trials Network LSU Health New Orleans has been awarded a $13.6 million grant by the National Cancer Insti- tute to expand its successful statewide clinical tri- als network with a special emphasis on minority and underserved cancer patients. Principal Inves- tigator Dr. Augusto Ochoa, director of LSU Health New Orleans Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, and his team will develop a new entity by combin- ing LSU Health New Orleans’ previously funded Gulf South Minority/Underserved NCI Commu- nity Oncology Research Program (NCORP) with Ochsner’s Community NCORP. Primary partners of the new Gulf South Minority/Underserved Clin- ical Trials Network NCORP will be LSU Health New Orleans Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, LSU Health Shreveport Feist Weiller Cancer Center, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, and Ochsner Cancer Center. The new Clinical Trials Network will provide can- cer care and access to clinical trials for more than 50 percent of newly diagnosed cancer patients in the region, expand the number of sites offering access to clinical trials from 22 to 42, and increase the proportion of minority patients participating in NCORP trials. It will also take advantage of the clinical subspecialties at the primary affiliate sites, utilize the valuable samples in biorepositories to advance research in health disparities and treat- ment, as well as expand its partnerships with com- munity health organizations. “This funding recognizes the expertise of LSU Health New Orleans and our partners in cancer research and care,” notes Larry Hollier, MD, chan- cellor of LSU Health New Orleans. “It will allow us to bring access to the latest advances in cancer care to even more Louisiana people diagnosed with this devastating disease.” Major health providers in the region including the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System in New Orleans, Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, and the Christus Health commu- nity sites will also participate. “A decade ago we started building this network with Mary Bird Perkins and LSU Health Shreve- port,” recalled Ochoa. “It was recently named a recipient of the Platinum Award by the NCI for being a leading organization in enrolling cancer patients into clinical trials. Last year alone, we enrolled more than 1,300 patients in Louisiana, and when combined with Ochsner, it was close to 1,500. We are the largest cancer clinical trials network in the state. With the addition of Och- sner, this new clinical trials network holds a hope- ful future for our cancer patients. We will continue to build cancer care throughout the state through team efforts such as the Gulf South CTN.” LCMCHealthCare Partners, Humana Enter Value- Based Agreement LCMC HealthCare Partners, LLC, and Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) have entered into a value-based agreement to help Humana Medicare Advantage members achieve their best health. The value-based contract expands upon Huma- na’s and LCMC Health System’s existing Medi- care network contract, which will continue to pro- vide Humana Medicare Advantage members in Greater New Orleans with access to LCMC facili- ties throughout Greater New Orleans. The expanded agreement provides in-network access for Humana Medicare Advantage Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) and Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) health plan mem- bers across New Orleans seeking care at LCMC’s newly formed clinically integrated network, LHP. LHP is a physician-led organization, focused on delivery of value to patients, providers, and payers through a population health model of care. The LHP network is comprised of over 900