Ochsner Clinic Confirms CEO
In March, the physician partnership of Ochsner Clinic voted Patrick J. Quinlan, MD, to the position of Chief Executive Officer of Ochsner Clinic. Dr. Quinlan has played a pivotal role in the organization serving as interim CEO and, previously, Chief Medical Officer.
As CEO of Ochsner Clinic, Dr. Quinlan is responsible for ongoing commercial and medical operations, strategic development and operations of Ochsner Clinic and the Ochsner Health Plan, and the Clinic's relationships with the Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation and other business partners.
Ochsner Clinic, based in New Orleans, employs 430 physicians and 2000 staff in 32 clinic locations throughout southeast Louisiana and Baton Rouge.
Prior to joining Ochsner Clinic, Dr. Quinlan served as the Chief Medical Officer of Lovelace Health Systems in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He earned his BA in Economics at the University of Texas at Austin and received his MD from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Dr. Quinlan completed his internship at Carraway Methodist Center in Birmingham, Alabama and his Dermatology residency at the University of Alabama.
Measuring the Risk of Stroke: A Faster, Cheaper Screening
A team of radiologists from across the country, led by Ochsner's Edward Bluth, MD, Chairman of the Department of Radiology, has developed a faster, cheaper screening test for carotid stenosis that compares with mammography in its accuracy (89%), cost-effectiveness ($50–$80), and speed (5–7 minutes). Using ultrasound power doppler imaging (PDI) technology to visualize and measure blood flow through the carotid arteries, the team has been able to identify asymptomatic patients at risk of stroke and limit expensive testing procedures to those patients truly at risk. Patients with PDI screenings demonstrating greater than 40% stenosis are referred for a more detailed examination. The study (Bluth et al, Radiology, June 2000) suggests that PDI screening should focus on patients with at least one risk factor in addition to age (smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol).
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States according to a 1997 US Census Report. For more information contact Ochsner's Department of Radiology at 504 842-3450.
- Ochsner Clinic and Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation