Jan. 29 forum examines the future of new public-private partnerships between LSU hospitals and local community medical centers.
Public-private partnerships between LSU hospitals and local community hospitals, like the deal struck with Lafayette General Medical Center, will forever alter the health-delivery model for the uninsured and highest-risk patients in the state. The redesign of public health care in the state also changes where and how Louisiana's future health professionals will be trained. The 16th annual LSU Forum on Health Care Effectiveness, titled "LSU Health: Building Blocks for the Future," will focus on these changes.
The forum will be Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the C. B. Pennington Jr. Building, 6400 Perkins Road, in Baton Rouge.
In a press release, LSU says the forum will include discussions on the role LSU Health will continue to play in improving health outcomes in the state, the continuation of LSU's successful model of population management under a different health care delivery model, and the many ways a continuous cycle of quality improvement can lead to new innovations.
"The LSU Health Care Services Division consistently provides high-quality, cost-effective health care," Dr. Michael Kaiser, interim LSU HCSD CEO, said in the release. "Our Disease Management Program is an essential part of this success. It keeps people healthy and out of the hospital, helping them to manage their chronic diseases and to live productive lives."
Featured forum speakers include Drs. Michael Butler and Frank Opelka, RN Jane Hooker and Jake Yarbrough.
Dr. Michael Butler, executive vice president and chief medical officer for Jackson Health System in Miami, will present the Merv Trail Memorial Lecture, "The Value of Systemness." He has more than 20 years in health care leadership roles emphasizing the delivery of high quality care. In 2008, Modern Healthcare magazine selected him as one of the Top 25 Minority Executives in Healthcare. Butler was responsible for designing and directing the nationally recognized, system-wide disease management initiatives at LSU HCSD. He is now overseeing the implementation of similar programs in Miami.
Hooker will present "Innovation and the Value of the Safety Net." She is the assistant vice president for quality for the National Association of Public Hospitals. She earned an undergraduate nursing degree from LSU and a master's degree in nursing from the University of Washington with a focus in acute neurological nursing. With NAPH since 2009, she has been responsible for designing and developing strategies and activities related to quality and innovations.
Jake Yarbrough, account director for Global Prairie, a contractor for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, has more than 15 years of experience creating and managing strategic communication programs for agency clients. He will present "Bridging Research and Practice: The Effective Health Care Program." He manages advocacy development and the public-private partnership cultivation program for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 14 states. As regional office lead for AHRQ's Effective Health Care Program, he works with organizations across the health care spectrum to leverage the free comparative-effectiveness research tools to help patients and clinicians make more informed choices about treatment options.
Dr. Frank Opelka, LSU System executive vice president for Health Care and Medical Education Redesign, will present "The Vision for Safety-Net Healthcare in Louisiana." Also vice chancellor for clinical affairs at the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, Opelka is a physician executive and recognized national leader in surgical quality, patient safety, public reporting and care and delivery system redesign. He serves on numerous national alliances, initiatives, and national committees for patient safety, quality improvement and in areas of health policy.
Dr. John Couk, associate LSU HCSD chief medical officer, will moderate the panel discussion "Performance Improvement Projects at HCSD Hospitals." Kaiser will give an update on the status of HCSD and will present the annual TRRRAQSSS award.
The forum is free and open to the public, but attendance is limited, so registration is required. Register here or on-site the day of the event, beginning at 8 a.m. For more information, click here.
The Health Care Services Division of LSU Health is one of the largest public healthcare delivery systems in the country. It has more than 33,000 inpatient admissions, 172,000 inpatient days, 583,000 outpatient clinic visits, 1,118,000 outpatient encounters, and 269,000 emergency department encounters. Each year more than 1,200 residents and fellows from the LSU and Tulane Schools of Medicine and Ochsner Health System and 2,900 nursing and allied health students from many colleges and universities are trained in LSU HCSD facilities.