Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center Recognized for Low Readmission Rates for Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery
July 08, 2025
Baton Rouge, LA – Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center was recently recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of the top 30 hospitals in the country with the lowest readmission rates for coronary artery bypass graft surgery, a life-saving procedure to restore blood flow to the heart. Ranked 15th in the nation according to data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the review tracked readmission outcomes between July 2020 and June 2023.
This achievement reflects the hospital’s commitment to providing high-quality cardiac care and improving patient outcomes through excellence in surgical recovery and follow-up. Strengthening this accomplishment, the Our Lady of the Lake team has maintained a focused clinical care plan resulting in a post procedure length of stay that is two days shorter than the national benchmark. Patients are feeling that compassionate care and dedication to excellence in every detail.
“There were some things I was scared to do. I was scared to walk. I’m scared to shower. They helped build the confidence for me to do them,” said Katina Nelson, recent cardiac patient at Our Lady of the Lake. “They walked with me even though I had those fears. They were amazing.”
Nelson recently underwent surgery for coronary artery bypass grafting. Now, she’s sharing her story as not only a nurse with Health Care Centers in Schools at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health but also a patient.
The most common reason for hospital readmission after heart bypass surgery is infection. The Our Lady of the Lake team pays particular attention to glucose levels, as it’s one of many critical elements for preventing complications. Over the last 22 months, the team has recorded nearly 20,000 glucose readings for 421 CABG patients. The median glucose level is 139 mg/dL, and the rate of severe low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia — an often dangerous side effect of targeted glucose control — is 0.02 percent or 1 in every 5,000 glucose readings, much better than the national average for CABG surgery patients.
“Those numbers are not just good. They’re industry-leading,” said Richard Slataper, MD, chief of hospital medicine at Our Lady of the Lake. “We’ve trained more than 70 hospitalists to use this protocol. They go through detailed training, and a competency exam before deploying the protocol for the benefit of our patients.”
You can read more about Nelson’s journey here. For additional information about cardiovascular care at Our Lady of the Lake, visit fmolhs.org/hvi.
About Our Lady of the Lake Health
Our Lady of the Lake Health is a not-for-profit Catholic healthcare ministry based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with more than 7,500 employees committed to serving the Capital Region and building a healthy community through excellence in patient care and education. With an 800-bed Regional Medical Center, a dedicated Children’s Hospital, a 78-bed hospital in Gonzales, Louisiana, two freestanding emergency rooms in outlying parishes, and a 600+ provider Physician Group, Our Lady of the Lake Health provides comprehensive healthcare services for common to complex conditions. Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center is a primary teaching site for graduate medical education programs in partnership with LSU, and is recognized in the areas of heart and vascular, trauma and emergency care, stroke, cancer care, minimally invasive procedures, and more. Our Lady of the Lake is part of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System and is driven by its mission to serve all God’s people, especially those most in need. For more information, visit ololrmc.com.