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.
BATON ROUGE – In its ongoing effort to support local communities and improve patient outcomes, Ochsner Baton Rouge has reached a crucial, two-way patient data-sharing agreement with East Baton Rouge Parish Emergency Medical Services. The first arrangement of its kind in the Capital region, this data-sharing model benefits both EMS and emergency department staff at Ochsner Medical Center – Baton Rouge.
Under the agreement, EMS personnel share treatment information electronically when delivering patients to the OMC-Baton Rouge emergency department. This quickly provides ED physicians and medical providers with accurate data on medications and procedures that patients receive prior to arrival.
“Sometimes it’s very chaotic when EMS arrives with a critical patient,” said Nathan Freeman, M.D., Medical Director of Emergency Medicine, Ochsner Baton Rouge. “We’re doing everything we can, as quickly as we can, to save lives. Having a complete record of what was done in the field adds another valuable layer of information while we’re trying to solve a complex medical problem.”
In addition, the agreement gives EMS personnel an opportunity to compare their field diagnoses with those reached by Ochsner ED physicians. East Baton Rouge EMS Medical Director Dan Godbee, M.D., says exchanging the information is an invaluable training tool. It also provides a major psychological benefit for EMS personnel.
“Our responders care about the people they’re trying to help, and they want to do the best job possible for every second that it takes to transport the patient to the hospital,” Dr. Godbee said. “The vast majority of times, they never know what ultimately happened to the patient. So, this agreement makes it possible to understand the physician’s diagnosis and the patient’s outcome, which is very meaningful for our team.”
Located on Ochsner’s O’Neal campus, OMC-BR is a fully accredited and nationally recognized hospital that offers 24-hour emergency care. For medical emergencies that are non-life threatening, please visit the nearest Ochsner Urgent Care center, or call the Ochsner 24/7 Nurse on Call line at (800) 231-5257.
To schedule an appointment across the Baton Rouge region, call (225) 761-5200 or visit Ochsner.org/info. In-person appointments and video visits are available online and through the MyOchsner patient portal.
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About Ochsner Baton Rouge
Greater Baton Rouge is home to Ochsner Medical Center - Baton Rouge, a full-service, 150-bed hospital and 18 Health Centers across Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Livingston and Tangipahoa Parishes – including Ochsner Cancer Center – Baton Rouge. Over 2,400 employees serve patients in the Greater Baton Rouge area, with the support of more than 500 physicians whose collective dedication to patient care is recognized for quality excellence by Becker’s Hospital Review, Healthgrades, Truven Health Analytics and Leapfrog. Ochsner Baton Rouge is a part of Ochsner Health, Louisiana’s largest non-profit healthcare delivery system committed to inspiring healthier lives and stronger communities with a focus on preventing diseases and providing patient-centered care that is accessible, affordable, convenient and effective. In 2021, Ochsner Health healed more than one million people from every state and 75 countries. The Ochsner team of more than 34,000 employees and 4,500 physicians pioneer new treatments, deploy emerging technologies and perform groundbreaking research, including over 700 clinical studies. To learn more about Ochsner Baton Rouge, please visit our website and follow us on Facebook.