October 01, 2009 DHH Announces New Medical Director for the Louisiana Medicaid Program

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Oct 01, 2009 - The Louisiana Department of Health (DHH) today introduced Dr. Rodney Wise as Medical Director for the Louisiana Medicaid Program.

Born in Alexandria, Dr. Wise is a Louisiana native. He earned his undergraduate degree from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches and his medical degree from the Louisiana State University School of Medicine in Shreveport.

Dr. Wise comes to LDH from his position as Director of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the E.A. Conway Medical Center in Monroe.  He has also held faculty positions at the LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport since 1985. Additionally, Dr. Wise has served as Maternity Program Medical Director for the Office of Public Health’s Maternal Child Health Program in New Orleans since 2003.

"I am pleased to welcome Dr. Wise to the LDH team," said LDH Secretary Alan Levine. "His years of experience in Louisiana’s medical community will be of great service to the Medicaid program as we continue to strive for better outcomes for our state’s residents while managing costs."

Dr. Wise will guide the department’s implementation of the recently announced Medicaid Chronic Care Management Program, a statewide quality improvement initiative to help people with asthma, diabetes, and congestive heart failure better manage their chronic conditions.  He will also help lead the implementation of reforms to the Medicaid program that will introduce a coordinated delivery model with transparency and accountability for outcomes.  

In his new position, Dr. Wise will also serve as clinical consultant for the state’s Medicaid program, where he will work with CommunityCARE and pharmacy issues.

The Louisiana Department of Health strives to protect and promote health statewide and to ensure access to medical, preventive and rehabilitative services for all state citizens. To learn more about LDH, visit http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov.

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