No Looking Back in 2010 State of the Hospital Address
President and CEO Bruce Schroffel delivered his annual overview four different times last month. Those expecting a "keep doing what you're doing" message may have been disappointed. Plus: excerpts from a wide-ranging discussion.  |
A "Primary Stroke Center" Again
The hospital's Stroke Program won its second two-year certification, along with some kudos from the Joint Commission surveyor. Best of all: no requirements for improvement. |
Tools? Resources? What Do You Mean?
The most recent Employee Opinion Survey showed many staff members don't believe they have the resources they need to do their jobs. But which ones? That's what a committee set out to find out. They've got more information and some solutions. |
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| Stephen Malkoski, MD (left), and Derek Linderman, MD, are part of a multidisciplinary clinic that uses new technology to retrieve and diagnose suspicious lung modules. | |
Going Deep into Lung Cancer Diagnosis
With new technology, UCH providers are taking the search for quick and accurate lung cancer diagnoses deeper into the airways than ever before. |
Finding Inpatient Psych Beds for Kids -- Stat
UCH, Children's and Access Behavioral Care have joined forces to form "Rapid Response," a program to soften the blow of the recent closure of child and adolescent inpatient psych beds at Colorado Mental Health Institute. |
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| Collins created "Cookson's Snow Trek" to raise money for the National Marfan Foundation. | |
Three Years Later, a Terrible Sadness -- and a Cause -- Remain
Since losing a loved one to complications from Marfan syndrome, PACU nurse Karen Collins has made raising awareness of the poorly understood disease a part of her life. |
Dean Krugman's News
The latest about what's going on at the School of Medicine. | |
With a move to Lowry, "Garfield" re-aligns its practice With more specialties and a space carefully designed to support staff as well as patients, the University Internal Medicine - Denver clinic is aiming for a 7 percent increase in patient volume after it finishes its move next week. 
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Sidebar: Even as construction continued, an "airiness" took shape The new space at Lowry aims to translate innovative design into new possibilities for staff and patients. And there are big-screen TVs in the waiting room, but no "Oprah." Above: Medical Director Wagner Schorr-Ratzlaff in one of the "pods" crafted to encourage staff teamwork and communication.
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Inside the Insider Commentary: Building a top 10 hospital in 18 seconds or less. Plus: "What You Read" and more talk about what's on your iPod.
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Improvements in the millions No longer content to accept reimbursement denials without a challenge, the hospital is collecting more of what insurance companies owe by being, well, more appealing. The new process is paying off nicely, overturning about 80 percent of charges originally denied. Above: Pharmacy's Ken Ferretti (left) and Bob Potter of Admissions help lead the charge.
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Bad environment? No. But "lots of room for improvement" The hospital has launched a 39-member task force to assess and strengthen its patient safety culture. Tops on the agenda: encouraging and fine-tuning the reporting of events that could have or did injure patients.
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Sidebar: a model in the MICU Looking for models for processing Patient Safety Net reports, the Patient Safety Culture Task Force examined how the Medical Intensive Care Unit does it. One key: investigating and following up on reports is a regular job for outcomes coordinator Janna Petrie (above, with MICU nurse John Brill).
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Scoreboard The hospital, its employees and its partners significantly improved in managing capacity and other critical success factors that could determine staff bonuses later this year. But room for improvement remains in all areas.
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"If you want to change the world, teach" That's exactly what Family Medicine's Inis Jane Bardella, MD, has done, and in a place sorely in need of help: Rwanda.
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UCH in the news Secrets of the spine, personalized cancer care, the Taco Bell diet, more. Mentions: Cherie Anttila, Peter Buttrick, Ross Camidge, Stephen Davies, Katie Fuenning, Bonnie Jortberg, Wagner Schorr-Ratzlaff.
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Around UCH Our regular round-up of goings-on, big and small, in and around the hospital. This issue: internal kickoff for Cancer Center fundraising drive (left); Epic questions; socks for the homeless; I-225 update; more...
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