Managers on the Spot after EOS
With data from the Employee Opinion Survey tabulated and analyzed, hospital leaders last week submitted their required improvement plans.  |
One of the Best
For a 15th consecutive year, US News and World Report ranks UCH among the nation's top hospitals. While it's rare to be ranked among the best in more than one specialty, UCH makes the list in six. |
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| Each item in Bajek's wall of stuff yields a story. | |
Joe Bajek's "Stuff"
The IT director's office features an entertaining jumble of "goofy stuff" from computer eras and vendors gone by. Look closer and you'll find a history of technological change. |
At Long Last: Full Accreditation
By early August, the hospital expects to demonstrate it is in full compliance with the 11 improvements the Joint Commission mandated last January. But can it stay there? |
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| Artist's rendering of CeDAR Spiritual and Family Center, currently under construction. | |
Spiritual Center Rises at CeDAR
Thanks to a gift from The Anschutz Foundation, a counseling center and chapel for the families of addiction rehab patients will open this fall. |
UCH in the News
Transplant survivor returns; high-altitude health care; employee lifesaver; more. Mentions: Bryan Bergman, Kevin Brady, John Harney, Ben Honigman, CT Lin. | |
Bonds go fast The hospital's long anticipated, carefully planned bond sale drew more buyers than it could accommodate. 
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Hospital keeping watchful eye on health reform bills More insured patients could be a boon, but the bills also promise real fiscal pain for hospitals and other providers. UCH's approach: make the case for a handful of issues it deems most important and wait until the debate dust clears to spend political capital.
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UCH's RN survey sets records The number of nurses taking the survey shattered previous records, and they ranked their "job enjoyment" higher than their peers in other Magnet facilities.
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Keeping surgeons on the cutting, er, minimally invasive edge The Center for Sugical Innovation is drawing students from all over who need to refresh their surgical skills and keep up with the latest technology and techniques.
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And don't come back! The feds began publishing hospitals' 30-day readmission rates this month. Regulators consider it "a possible measure of how well [the hospital] did the first time," but one UCH doc argues it's just a sliver of a very complex patient care picture.
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ED patient sat scores yield success, then disappointment Process improvement efforts and improved communications tools helped produce much higher scores in May. But a decline in June showed the department will have to "keep swimming" when frequently filled inpatient beds upstairs contribute to chronically crowded waiting rooms.
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Inside the Insider Commentary: Is health care reform a cleansing wind or a devastating storm for hospitals? Plus: What You Read and a word about donated art.
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An important safety catch The pressure to prevent inpatient falls has never been higher. Concerned about an unacceptably high fall rate, a multidisciplinary team at UCH launched an ambitious prevention program that has yielded some encouraging early returns.
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BMT adds another chapter to success story Insurance giant Aetna added the Blood and Marrow Transplant program to its referral network, citing it as an "Institute of Excellence." Higher volumes may follow.
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Measuring your health risks The hospital's second "health risk evaluation" survey kicks off next month, with some of last year's participants notably skinnier and healthier. To encourage employees to create a "culture of health," the hospital is offering prizes, just for participating. Inside: business analyst Andre Casias (above) talks about what he gained (and lost) by taking the survey.
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Chronic care program does good, then shuts down The program, which helped the hospital remotely monitor and manage the health of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, produced good clinical results, but ended in June when its money ran out. Next task: convincing insurers the approach can cut costs.
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Around UCH Our regular round-up of goings-on, big and small, in and around the hospital. This issue: triathlon to raise money for patient assistance (left); LEAP forward for stroke patients; a hospital Emmy Award-winner; more...
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