The Iberia Medical Center Board of Commissioners will consider several capital purchases at its monthly meeting tonight.

The board will be discussing a new master control panel that will handle electrical power for a portion of the physical plant. Another item for consideration is the purchase of new power tools for orthopedic surgery. Although similar in function to the drills and saws commercially available, the surgical power tools are made of higher quality materials, such as stainless steel, and are capable of being sterilized in an autoclave under high pressure and heat.

Also up for approval is a contract for prescription tracking software. The Allscript system will not only allow for the tracking of prescription use in the hospital but also for the period 90 days after a patient leaves. The software sets alerts for staff to follow up on post treatment care to make sure patients are not having issues and are taking prescribed medications during their recuperation.

The board also will receive its monthly update from Lafayette General Health Chief Executive Officer David Callecod. Although the updates generally deal with initiatives within the LGH system as well as state and national legislative issues, the looming merger between LGH and Ochsner Health System is expected to be finalized in coming months.

In recent presentations, Callecod has informed the IMC board of the progress toward the merger, which has been moving as scheduled. The merger is expected to be completed in the spring.

The board will also go into executive session to discuss future financial and strategic plans.

The Iberia Medical Center Board of Commissioners will meet at 5:30 p.m. today in the board meeting room of the Iberia Medical Center’s Main Campus.