Section Health Care

Lafayette General lays off 70

Hospital group says more “patient care will be added to the system’s main campus — Lafayette General Medical Center — as a way to further centralize care and staffing.”

Fit for Life

EACH YEAR ABIZ ROUNDS UP A FEW EXECUTIVES who know the key to avoiding the boss burnout: staying fit. What’s more, recent studies suggest that being visibly out of shape can undermine others’ perceptions of your leadership ability and job stamina.

Ashkar named LGH’s CMO

Dr. Ziad M. Ashkar, who has practiced as a nephrologist at Acadiana Renal Physicians since 2002, was named chief medical officer of Lafayette General Health effective Nov. 1.

People in Health Care

Dr. Robert Autin, a general surgeon, has joined the practice of Drs. Philip Gachassin, Dennis Eschete Jr., Daniel Carroll and Michael Horaist.

Health Briefs

Lafayette General Medical Center has been selected to be among the first hospitals in the nation to join the EMPower Initiative to enhance maternity care practices and work toward achieving the Baby Friendly USA designation.

The Heart Guard

A 65-year-old man diagnosed with severe congestive heart failure frequents his local hospital, located 45 miles away, every other week due to his difficulty controlling his heart failure symptoms, knowing each day holds the potential for his heart to suddenly stop working.

UHC readies breast cancer study

UHC is looking for volunteers who have been diagnosed with a specific type of breast cancer to participate in a new clinical trial.

Obamacare and the GOP’s Full-Time ‘Fix’

Now in control of both houses of Congress, Republicans are following through on promises to address problems with the Affordable Care Act, starting with a bill aimed at “helping” America’s workforce. But the issue is not that simple.

Treatment on Trial

Over the years, Lafayette General Medical Center has been working to establish itself as a world-class medical treatment center by placing an emphasis on improving medical education, and now it is taking the next step by participating in clinical...

Cutting Edge

Two years after breaking ground, Lafayette General Medical Center’s new emergency department and surgical platform are now in full swing. On Oct. 1, LGMC’s expanded ER opened for business, following the opening of the operating rooms in June.

CTS surgeon Ed Nagem returns to Lafayette

Respected surgeon’s arrangement with Lourdes/Heart Hospital comes on heels of similar deal between Drs. Victor Tedesco and Mohamad Allam with Lafayette General’s physicians group.

LHC to acquire Life Care Home Health

The Lafayette-based home nursing firm will buy 14 home health agencies from a Tennessee company for $10 million in cash. LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - Lafayette-based home nursing firm LHC Group will buy 14...

Vital Signs

Health care as you've known it will never be the same. It goes without saying that the health care environment is going to change. Unless you are coming out of a coma for the past few years, you know...

Vision: Health Care

IND Media's Vision Series continues in ABiz with a look at the future of health care in Lafayette and Acadiana. Vital Signs Health care as you've known it will never be the same. By Douglas...

UHC reopens medical detox program

Less than a month after announcing the return of outpatient pediatric services, University Hospital & Clinics has reopened its Medical Detoxification Program. Less than a after announcing the...

App for Dat: Blue Cross

Get a map to your doctor's office, check the status of a claim and more with Blue Cross' new iPhone/Ipad app. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana announced Dec. 5 that customers can now find...

Schumacher Group laying off 31 in Lafayette

Company's October cut of 42 positions nationwide comes on the heels of two similar announcements this year. Calling it yet another corporate realignment/restructuring resulting from the changing face...

Downtown urgent care clinic opens

Dr. Paul Azar III and physician assistant Shane LaHood bring walk-in clinic to St. Louis Street. Saying they recognized a need for a new medical care facility serving the Downtown and Saint Streets...

Now open: The Joint

A fast-growing chiropractic franchise expands to Lafayette. Dr. Michael Fontenot Dr. Ashley Fontenot The husband and wife team of Drs. Michael and Ashley Fontenot has opened The Joint at 4302...

UL's online program turns RNs into BSNs

Since March 2012, 26 registered nurses have earned their bachelor of science in nursing through the online program. UL Lafayette is looking for RNs with associate degrees who want to earn a bachelor's...

Schumacher group earns spot on Inc. 5000

Lafayette-based company ranks among fastest-growing private companies in the country. Schumacher Group has landed the position of 4,009 on the prestigious Inc. 5000 ranking. For the past 32 years Inc....

LGMC wins Women's Choice Award

Local hospital receives the 2013 Women's Choice Award, which identifies the country's best health care institutions based on patient satisfaction and what women say they want from a...

Dollars for Docs

How to evaluate pharmaceutical company payments to physicians How to Evaluate Drug Payment Data By Nicholas Kusnetz, ProPublica Monday, June 17, 2013 [Editor's Note: ProPublica is a New York-based,...

LGMC expanding Hub City residency program

The UMC medical residency program slated to re-emerge under the management of Lafayette General Medical Center will expand the number of Hub City doctors in training by 20, bringing the total number...

Despite cuts, Schumacher ahead of hiring goals

Two rounds of layoffs in a month's time, the loss of about 73 jobs, does not jeopardize the incentives Schumacher Group got from the state for expansion because it continues to offset those cuts with...

Lafayette General job fair Wednesday

Hospital group is seeking to fill positions at University Hospital & Clinics, formerly UMC. Lafayette General Medical Center is holding a job fair Wednesday, June 5, for positions at University...

Stark named CEO of UMC

New administrator, who assumes role June 24, has experience with residency and teaching programs. Indiana native Jared Stark is relocating to Lafayette to run University Medical Center once Lafayette...

The Benefits of Benefits

An employee health plan doesn't have to break your budget. An employee health plan doesn't have to break your budget. Shaye Evans Cost containment. It's on every employer's mind. Some employers...

Decision Time

If you're an employer, you better get educated cause big health care changes are near. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will play a significant role in employer responsibilities,...

Corporate Wellness: Fit Companies

Seven Acadiana companies earned the AHA's Gold Fit status for promoting workforce wellness. Receiving the Gold Fit designation requires that companies meet certain criteria of the American Heart...

The ‘Depression Chair'

A new and potentially revolutionary device for treating depression - sans pharmaceuticals - arrives in Acadiana. TMS of Acadiana, at first glance, appears less like a place where patients are treated...

Readying for Obamacare

Companies with 50 or more full-time employees must offer "minimum essential coverage" that is "affordable" by 2014. Now that President Obama has won re-election, it is safe to...

Doc in the Box

XstremeMD, a Lafayette-based telemedicine provider, is saving lives in the oil and gas industry. During a morning meeting on an oil and gas platform 100 miles offshore, Barry Albarado started having...

ACA is Here to Stay

The only thing certain is death and taxes - and Obamacare. The end of the 2012 race for the White House opens a new chapter in the movement to bring reform to America's health care system. Several...

Louisiana Cedes to Feds

The Bayou State was among the first to announce last year that it will not run its own health insurance exchange in 2014. Federal health care reform - the Affordable Care Act - is projected to cut the...

Integrating the Charity System's Mission

The moral of the UMC story is that we must develop new approaches to health care that merge government and private enterprise with individual responsibility. It is no surprise that the recently...

Personal Matters

Wednesday, January 25, 2012 by Scott Olivier Personal Matters Privacy is paramount in the move to electronic health records. Wednesday, January 25, 2012 by Scott Olivier Personal Matters Privacy is...

The Waiting Room

Wednesday, September 28, 2011 By Jimmy S. Mallia While the individual mandate remains tied up in the court system, a number of health care reform measures have taken hold. Wednesday, September 28,...


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