Dr. Steven Gremillion discovered a long time ago that he enjoyed science, experimentation and investigation, and that he also happened to have an aptitude for chemistry and physics. As Business Report details in its latest Executive Spotlight feature, when Gremillion, 55, learned he could combine all those interests and strengths to help people as a doctor, he knew he found the right career to pursue.
Gremillion, a cardiologist with Louisiana Cardiology Associates, was named chief medical officer and vice president of medical affairs for Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in January.
His responsibilities in the ever-changing health care environment include promoting graduate medical education programs, meeting with insurance payers and even managing budgets with the hospital’s finance department. The end goal, he says, is making sure OLOL’s clinicians “have the tools to provide great outcomes and patient experience.”
The cardiologist says he landed at OLOL because he observed during his interview process after finishing his cardiology fellowship at Vanderbilt that the doctors were the most collegial he had ever met. Gremillion says health care in Louisiana is changing for the better.
“At Our Lady of the Lake we saw the growth of the Heart & Vascular Institute, which allows us to perform new procedures like valve replacement without open heart surgery and new techniques for curing arrhythmias,” Gremillion says. “For patients we are more proactively managing chronic conditions to help patients stay out of the hospital.”
Though he acknowledges that change can make some people feel uneasy, Gremillion says he’s happy to be part of the planning process.
“I can listen to patients and to other physicians and work with hospital leadership to ensure we focus our efforts on changing for the better,” he says.
Read the full Executive Spotlight Q&A. Here’s a sample of what you’ll find:
Ten years from now, what do you think the health care environment in Baton Rouge will look like?
The theme for the future is connectivity. Common electronic medical records allow greater collaboration between physicians and other providers meaning more seamless care and better results for patients. Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital will become a reality and attract additional specialists for children.
