STPH, Ochsner Announce Partnership
STPH, OCHSNER HEALTH SYSTEM SHARE FUTURE VISION
FOR HEALTHCARE IN WESTERN ST. TAMMANY PARISH
NEW ORLEANS - Today, St. Tammany Parish Hospital (“STPH”) and Ochsner Health System (“Ochsner”) celebrated the formation of a long-term, strategic partnership focused on increasing local access to care, improving quality and reducing the cost of healthcare for area patients. Together, the two entities serve as the most comprehensive, integrated health system in western St. Tammany Parish.
“Our partnership represents an entirely new business model for this region,” said STPH President and CEO Patti Ellish. “The joint operating agreement strengthens our ability to deliver on our promise of not-for-profit community health and wellness. It is a proactive step to improve quality and decrease costs while offering access to higher acuity healthcare closer to home.”
The partnership provides benefits for both organizations, physicians and, most importantly, patients, who will have the convenience of being treated close to home at western St. Tammany’s preferred hospital, while gaining better access to the depth and breadth of care for which Ochsner is nationally recognized. The alignment, both clinically and financially, will create greater opportunity for physician recruitment, joint investments in new programs and the expansion of patient services and resources in the region.
“Two of the highest quality organizations in our region are coming together around a common goal – our patients – to build upon our unique strengths and deliver far more to the people of western St. Tammany Parish together than we can individually,” said Warner Thomas, President and CEO, Ochsner Health System.
The two organizations announced several programs for which growth and development in western St. Tammany is a priority, including pediatric subspecialty care, comprehensive neurosciences care, such as stroke care and neurosurgery, and an expansion of cardiovascular and thoracic programs.
The agreement is an equal partnership representative of the joint commitment to the communities we serve. Under the agreement, each organization will retain its name, assets and employees to allow them to continue doing the great work that has brought them to this point. The partnership does not change the governance, employees or medical staff relationships of St. Tammany Parish Hospital Service District #1 or of Ochsner Health System.
Collaboration rather than competition will result in sharing of best practices, reduction of unnecessary costs, development of innovative care solutions through technology and clinical teamwork, and a relentless focus on quality and value.
“As the most comprehensive network in western St. Tammany, providers from Ochsner Clinic Foundation, the St. Tammany Physician’s Network along with independent, community physicians will have the opportunity to increase clinical collaboration, implement advanced, patient-centered technology and expand services in the region,” said Patrick Torcson, MD, Vice President and Chief Integration Officer, St. Tammany Parish Hospital.
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About Ochsner Health System
Ochsner Health System is southeast Louisiana’s largest non-profit, academic, multi-specialty, healthcare delivery system. Driven by a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate, coordinated clinical and hospital patient care is provided across the region by 11 hospitals, both owned and managed, and more than 40 health centers in Louisiana. Ochsner is the only Louisiana hospital recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a “Best Hospital” across nine specialty categories. Ochsner employs more than 15,000 employees, over 900 physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties and conducts over 400 clinical research trials annually. Ochsner Health System is proud to be a tobacco-free environment. For more information, please visit ochsner.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
About St. Tammany Parish Hospital
A full-service acute care facility committed to providing world-class healthcare and the latest technology, St. Tammany Parish Hospital delivers today’s life-improving procedures with the utmost care to area residents with emphasis on wellness, preventive care and disease management close to home. STPH is a self-supporting not-for-profit community hospital; it receives no tax funding. STPH.org
READ THE MEDIA COVERAGE HERE:
Ochsner, St. Tammany Parish Hospital herald partnership as vision of healthcare future
NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune