Ochsner Health is a system that delivers health to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Visits Ochsner Medical Center to Explore Healthcare Innovation
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai met with leaders of Ochsner Health (Ochsner) and innovationOchsner (iO) yesterday to discuss Ochsner’s commitment to innovation and tour the system’s flagship facility. Chairman Pai, who was appointed to his position in January 2017, has a special interest in utilization of technology and telehealth services to improve healthcare access and quality.
“Connected health has the power to transform the lives of patients across the country. I saw that firsthand at Ochsner Health where we discussed the importance of connectivity to telehealth and telemedicine initiatives. That’s why I’m committed to continuing my work at the FCC to harness the power of technology to improve the health of all Americans,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.
A pioneer in healthcare innovation and digital health, Ochsner briefed Chairman Pai on several of its programs that leverage technology to improve health outcomes and provide increased, more convenient access to quality care, including:
- Ochsner Digital Medicine – Award-winning program that changes the way patients care for prevalent and costly chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes. Digital technology provides more convenient access to high-quality care and improved outcomes.
- Hypertension Digital Medicine – Utilized by thousands of patients with uncontrolled high blood pressure. More than 71 percent of hypertension patients, who were previously out of control, achieved control within 90 days of entering the program, compared with 31 percent who followed the traditional care model.
- Diabetes Digital Medicine – Allows diabetic patients to measure blood sugar levels anywhere and automatically transmit the information to their care teams. Care teams use information to adjust treatment plans, medications and provide lifestyle guidance resulting in significant improvements in blood sugar control, patient activation and completing important health maintenance measures.
- Connected MOM (Maternity Online Monitoring) – Program that helps Ochsner expectant mothers manage their pregnancy with fewer visits to the obstetrician. Through Connected MOM, expectant mothers can digitally send weights, blood pressure readings and urine protein test results to their medical team from the comfort of home without needing to schedule an appointment. This technology can detect preeclampsia earlier when compared to patients seen in the office setting and reduces the number of in-person appointments, which patients enjoy and appreciate, and allows for at-risk patients to have access to care in a timely manner.
- Ochsner TeleStork Program – A service of Ochsner’s Maternal Fetal Medicine team, which provides specialized care via two-way audio and video to communicate with patients, providers and family members. The benefits include reduced emergent c-section rates and improved birth outcomes for babies, including decreased neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions.
- Ochsner TeleStroke Program - A network that has been built over 10 years, connecting vascular neurology experts with patients at more than 50 hospital across the Gulf South. With more than 17,000 patients already cared for, we anticipate helping 3,500 other families in 2019.
- Ochsner Anywhere Care and Virtual Visits – A secure, interactive video platform for urgent care, behavioral health, and sub-specialty care. Across a range of services, including neurology, cardiology, dermatology, and others, patients can now connect with experts via their smartphone, tablet or personal computer from home, work or on the go. Ochsner Urgent Care providers have joined forces with telehealth platform American Well®, to provide live, on-demand video visits during an unexpected illness - for the quality, access, and convenience that our communities deserve.
Chairman Pai concluded his visit with a tour of Ochsner’s nationally-recognized O Bar, a service that enables patients to test out the latest in health technology in a supportive, interactive environment and promotes patient engagement in health.
“Patient care extends beyond the walls of the hospital and our team is utilizing technology, data and new ways of thinking to improve health outcomes, reduce the cost of care, enhance the experience of healthcare and, ultimately, build healthier communities,” said Dr. Richard Milani, Ochsner’s Chief Clinical Transformation Officer and Medical Director of iO. “Our digital programs are improving outcomes and are getting our patients more engaged with their health.”
For more information about iO, please visit www.ochsner.org/io.
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Ochsner Health is Louisiana’s largest non-profit, academic, healthcare system. Driven by a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate, coordinated clinical and hospital patient care is provided across the region by Ochsner's 40 owned, managed and affiliated hospitals and specialty hospitals, and more than 100 health centers and urgent care centers. Ochsner is the only Louisiana hospital recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a “Best Hospital” across three specialty categories caring for patients from all 50 states and more than 70 countries worldwide each year. Ochsner employs nearly 25,000 employees and over 4,500 employed and affiliated physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties and conducts more than 700 clinical research studies. Ochsner Health is proud to be a tobacco-free environment. For more information, please visit ochsner.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
