HJNO Sep/Oct 2019

56 SEP / OCT 2019  I  Healthcare Journal of NEW ORLEANS   Hospital Rounds Warner Thomas, President and CEO of Ochsner Health System, Named Ernst &Young Entrepreneur of The Year® 2019 Gulf Coast AwardWinner Ernst & Young (EY) announced that Warner Thomas, president and CEO of Ochsner Health System, received the Entrepreneur of The Year® 2019 Award in the Healthcare & Related Services category for the Gulf Coast Area. The award rec- ognizes entrepreneurs who are excelling in areas such as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Thomas was selected by an inde- pendent panel of judges, and the award was pre- sented at a special gala event on June 21 at the Marriott Marquis Houston. Ochsner created an innovation lab, innova- tionOchsner, or iO, which functions like a start-up that is embedded within the organization. With different goals and an operating structure to really embody an entrepreneurial culture, iO focuses on solving some of healthcare’s most pressing prob- lems. It creates new value by using technology and data to deliver personalized, patient-centered solutions to empower people to live their healthi- est, best lives. “Ochsner is a growing organization that has been an entrepreneur in building new innovations and technologies that are changing the way we are delivering healthcare. This would not be pos- sible without the amazing people who drive this every single day,” said Thomas. “We are proud to place New Orleans and Louisiana on the map for digital health through iO and will continue to work hard to change the lives of those across the country.” As a Gulf Coast Area award winner, Thomas is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepre- neur of The Year 2019 National Awards. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Entrepreneur of The Year National Over- all Award winner, will be announced at the Entre- preneur of The Year National Awards gala in Palm Springs, Cal., on Nov. 16, 2019. Northlake Behavioral Health SystemChanges Leadership Team New leaders for Northlake Behavioral Health System in Mandeville include CEO Billie Whittington, COO Diana Polyakof, Director of Nursing JoNell King, and Director of Social Ser- vices Anna Mercante. The change in the leadership team has been initiated by NESS Healthcare’s President Tony Shir. NESS Healthcare owns Northlake Behav- ioral Health System. Whittington has 20 years of healthcare experi- ence. She began her healthcare career as a lab- oratory medical technologist after obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Sci- ences from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. She transitioned into quality early in her career when she became responsible for CAP accreditation for a special chemistry lab. From there, Whittington went on to obtain a Masters of Public Administration with a Health- care Concentration from Louisiana State Univer- sity’s E. J. Ourso College of Business. She has spent 14 years of her career imple- menting strategies and practices to maintain Joint Commission, LDH, CLIA and CAP compli- ance. She has successfully passed six Joint Com- mission surveys, as well as numerous state surveys during her career. Whittington also specializes in strategic goal development, risk management, patient safety, environment of care safety, emergency pre- paredness, performance improvement, and data analysis. In 2011, Whittington was appointed to the National Association of Healthcare Quality 2011 & 2012 Healthcare Quality Foundation Team. She was also a governor appointed member of the 2015 Louisiana State Board of Medical Examin- ers Clinical Laboratory Personnel Committee. She is a member of the American College of Health- care Executives and has a Yellow Belt in LEAN Six Sigma. SMH Laboratory receives accreditation fromCollege of American Pathologists The Accreditation Committee of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) has awarded accred- itation to Slidell Memorial Hospital Laboratory based on results of a recent on-site inspection as part of the CAP’s Accreditation Programs. “Having a respected national organization recognize the excellence of the services being provided here matters. But it’s not just about us hanging a plaque on the wall. Most importantly, it assures the community we serve that they have and will continue to receive the highest level of services,” said SMH Laboratory Director Michele Bond, MT (ASCP), DLM, FACHE. SMH’s labora- tory is one of more than 8,000 CAP-accredited facilities worldwide. The U.S. federal government recognizes the CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program, begun in the early 1960s, as being equal-to or more- stringent-than the government’s own inspection program. During the CAP accreditation process, designed to ensure the highest standard of care for all laboratory patients, inspectors examine the laboratory’s records and quality control of proce- dures for the preceding two years. CAP inspec- tors also examine laboratory staff qualifications, equipment, facilities, safety program, and record, as well as overall management. “SMH Laboratory demonstrates leadership, innovation, and a passionate commitment to standards of excellence while providing the highest quality services, ultimately for patients,” said Bharati Jhaveri, MD, FCAP, chair of the CAP’s Council on Accreditation. “The CAP con- gratulates SMH Laboratory on its recent CAP Accreditation.” SMH Chief Executive Officer Kerry Tirman said, “The entire pathology and laboratory medicine team have worked hard to earn this significant accomplishment. It’s another demonstration of our team’s commitment to high-quality patient care.” Jennings American Legion Hospital Honored with LAMMICO's Annual Patient Safety Award and Grant Jennings American Legion Hospital in Jen- nings, La., is the recipient of the Fourth Annual LAMMICO Patient Safety Award. The 2018-2019 Patient Safety Award and Grant focused on nurse burnout. Participants were asked to complete LAMMICO’s risk management and patient safety education on nurse well-being and burnout, and then implement strategies to reduce burnout and promote provider well-being. The LAMMICO Patient Safety Award and Grant recognizes major achievements by hospitals and