By KEVIN CHIRI

Editor and Publisher

LAPLACE – River Parishes Hospital CEO Scott Boudreaux has constantly emphasized the importance of patient care as the top priority for the St. John health care facility, since he took over as director just over two years ago.

This past week, RPH received some state recognition confirming the improvement in that area, as they were one of only 51 hospitals in the state to receive the Silver Level 2006 Louisiana Hospital Quality Award.

The award is presented by the Louisiana Health Care Review, Inc., which is the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for Louisiana.

Hospitals named for the Silver Level honor must show quality initiatives aimed at improving patient care in four different areas: Heart Attacks, Heart Failure, Pneumonia and Surgical Care.

There are between 20 and 30 standards to meet in each area, and River Parishes met or exceeded those national standards in patient care.

&#8220This just shows what a great job our employees are doing in trying to provide the best patient care we can,” Boudreaux noted. &#8220We put these measures in place two years ago, and I think it shows we are very serious about providing the best patient care we can.”

The clinical topics measured for the awards have been designated as national health care priorities by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Staff members from River Parishes Hospital have been working with quality improvement specialists from Louisiana Health Care Review to use proven, evidence-based practices to improve care for their patients.

&#8220Louisiana Health Care Review is pleased to recognize River Parishes Hospital for achieving measured improvement in patient care. More importantly, we know that utilizing proven standards of care can save lives, and we applaud the hospital’s team in their dedication to quality patient care for the people of the River Parishes area,” said LHCR Chief Executive Officer Gary Curtis.