HJNO Mar/Apr 2026

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS  I  MAR / APR 2026 37 Jamie Schlottman Plan President Louisiana Healthcare Connections than half of the scoring reflects broader societal conditions, Louisiana’s overall ranking suffers. What Else Does Louisiana Do Well? Despite its overall ranking, Louisiana excels in areas actually tied to healthcare access and preventive services. These strengths are important to acknowledge, because they demonstrate that targeted investments can produce gains. Louisiana’s top performing measures include: • heat related worker health (1st); • breast cancer screenings (4th); • cancer screenings (9th); • cancer diagnoses detected early (9th); • having a dedicated healthcare pro- vider (15th); and • colorectal cancer screening (16th). These are not small achievements. High screening rates, provider access, and ear- ly cancer detection reflect a healthcare system that is functioning effectively for many residents and compares well against national averages. Economic and Social Policy Are Health Policy The takeaway is clear: improving Lou- isiana’s health ranking requires strategies that extend far beyond the healthcare system. Clinical care is necessary, but not sufficient, to move the needle on statewide health outcomes. Poverty, unemployment, and low ed- ucational attainment are not historically viewed as healthcare issues, yet they are among the strongest predictors of health outcomes. Louisiana’s low health ranking is not a verdict on the quality of its health- care system. In fact, the data show the opposite: Clinical care is one of the state’s relative strengths. Ultimately, improving health requires broader, more integrated approaches that address the full spectrum of factors influ- encing our health. From economic oppor- tunity to environmental safety and societal stability, we must go beyond the clinic and effect change in our communities where health is truly shaped. n REFERENCES “America’s Health Rankings 2025 Annual Report: Louisiana,” America’s Health Rankings, n.d., https://www.americashealthrankings.org/ publications/reports/2025-annual-report/state- summaries-louisiana. “America’s Health Rankings 2025 Annual Report,” America’s Health Rankings, n.d., https:// www.americashealthrankings.org/publications/ reports/2025-annual-report. A 30-year veteran of the healthcare industry,Jamie Schlottman is plan president of Louisiana Healthcare Connections. Clinical Care is a Bright Spot — but It’s Only 45% of the Score America’s Health Rankings, a national nonprofit organization, evaluates states using a selection of more than 90 mea- sures, but only about 45% of them relate directly to clinical care and health out- comes. The remaining 55% reflects social, economic, environmental, and behavioral conditions. Measures such as crowded housing, high-speed internet access, per capita income, volunteerism, carpooling, climate disaster risk, voter participation, and others are conditions over which the healthcare system has no control. Louisiana’s healthcare system can per- form well, and in many ways it does, but the state still ranks poorly overall because the majority of the scoring is tied to con- ditions outside the exam room. The state’s category rankings clearly illustrate this: • 38th – clinical care • 47th – physical environment • 48th – health outcomes • 49th – personal behaviors • 50th – social and economic factors Simply put, clinical care is the only cate- gory pulling Louisiana upward. If the rank- ings were based solely on the healthcare system, Louisiana would sit near the mid- dle of the other states. But because more America’s Health Rankings comprises more than 90 measures — 55% relate to society, economy, environment, and behaviors, while 45% are categorized as health outcomes and clinical care.