Ochsner Medical Center has become a member of the American Joint Replacement Registry, a nonprofit database with a goal of improving the experiences of patients who have joint replacement surgery.
The independent database stores information about joint replacement procedures and serves as a central clearinghouse for such surgeries performed at Ochsner and other member hospitals, according to an Ochsner news release.
Registry information is used by physicians to make more informed recommendations to patients and by artificial-joint manufacturers to help improve their products.
All data collected by the American Joint Replacement Registry remains confidential to protect patient privacy, according to Ochsner.
Baton Rouge General Medical Center has expanded its wound care services, which originated on its mid-city campus, to its Bluebonnet campus.
The Baton Rouge General’s wound and hyperbaric oxygen therapy team treats wounds caused by diabetes, poor circulation and other conditions, according to the hospital.
A federal agency is producing a health-care news website with a new podcast each week and new videos and advice columns each month.
Healthcare 411 is produced by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
It covers a wide range of health information and can be found at http://healthcare411.ahrq.gov.
A statewide coalition of health-care professionals is encouraging patients with severely advanced illnesses to discuss a new end-of-life care document with their doctors and families.
The document is called a Louisiana Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment (LaPOST). It gives patients the ability to state their preferences for end-of-life medical care, in the event they become unable to communicate, according to a news release from the LaPOST Coalition.
Created by health-care professionals and legal experts and approved by the state Legislature, the document is neither for nor against treatment, and its use is voluntary. It’s available online, but must be completed by a physician to become valid.
Other end-of-life care measures, such as living wills and advance directives, are available and give the ability to make important health-care decisions, according to the coalition.
However, it says, those forms typically “require interpretation and a physician order before being used.”
“LaPOST is a binding medical order once completed and can be used independently from other documents,” according to the news release.
For more information, visit http://www.la-post.org. The form can be found by clicking on the “For Patients and Families” link at the top of the screen.
Compiled by Ellyn Couvillion
Advocate staff writer
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