St. Tammany Parish Hospital (STPH) is a 233-bed, not-for-profit community hospital north of Lake Pontchartrain outside New Orleans. As a full-service acute care facility committed to providing world-class healthcare and the latest technology, STPH 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 recognized for quality, safety and the patient experience by US News & World Report, Leapfrog, Healthgrades, CareChex and Women’s Choice. It is a 4-star hospital according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
STPH addresses 45,000 emergencies annually at its main campus and off-site emergency departments combined. It is an accredited chest pain center and certified primary stroke center. Through partnership with Ochsner Health System, STPH offers Telestroke analysis by vascular neurologists to improve stroke outcomes in the emergency department.
Through St. Tammany Quality Network, STPH improves screening rates and proactively manages chronic disease to improve overall population health. STPH and STQN were responsible for approximately 54,000 lives that met that designation in 2018. This approach seeks to improve care not only in the hospital environment but also in home and post-acute environments.
In 2018, nearly 800 new patients were cared for at the St. Tammany Cancer Center and most of those were diagnosed by one of the many specialists at diagnostic sites that support the program. They joined the nearly 5,000 current patients that receive care at the center. STCC continues to focus on early prevention and detection through many screenings in the community and is also a site for many treatment innovations.
Daily safety huddles with staff, support services and administration keep patients and staff safe and escalate issues before they cause harm. Huddles facilitate collaboration among all participants and have helped to keep the hospital’s Leapfrog Safety Grade of A for six consecutive grading periods.
Since partnering with the Studer Group in 2014, STPH’s overall Press Ganey top box score has improved and remains in the top decile of hospitals nationally for nurse communication, provider communication, transitions of care, and overall rating and recommendation of the facility. Key quality leading practices such as principles of hourly rounding, Bedside Shift Report℠, and use of patient communication boards are hardwired, which has been key to STPH’s success. Staff have embraced and incorporated these principles, allowing them to provide more personal, compassionate care to their patients. In 2018, STPH was recognized in the 98th percentile in employee and physician engagement, and has been in the top 10 percent in employee engagement since 2016. Leadership development remains a top priority for STPH, with all nursing directors, managers and charge nurses attending the Nursing Leadership Academy, an onsite national Studer Group Conference where frontline nursing leaders advance their skill for validating and coaching the behavior of frontline staff.
STPH is a partner of Ochsner Health System. Together, the partners provide world-class healthcare to patients on the Northshore, close to home.