Med Board, others reach out to lure physicians to middle of disaster planning Even before last week's tragedies abroad, the hospital - not wanting to assume clinicians had all the details down - had launched a drive to drill doctors about what to do if a civic emergency erupts. >>More

A fresh focus on patient sat There's nothing new about the hospital talking about the importance of patient satisfaction and employee engagement. But a new "Service Excellence" pilot program is taking a new tack: a consistent approach that has the backing of executive leadership. Left: Kaycee Shiskowsky, nurse manager for 6 East - one of the pilot units - uses tokens to reward staff for great service and rounds on each patient.      >>More
 

UCH's likeliest hazards There are 65 kinds of hazards around that can pose a risk to a hospital's operations, but a new analysis found "no red flags" at UCH. Statistically, hazardous material spills that affect fewer than five victims and "mission- critical" data and network failures may be the biggest risks here. >>More
 

Later "late charges" A seemingly invisible thing like promptly entering charges for clinic visits and hospital stays has been a crucial reason UCH's bottom line and bank account have stayed shiny and black. But recent increases in charge-entry times have sparked an effort to "re-engage" with one of the hospital's "critical success factors." Left: "charge czar" Donna Dominguez keeps a close eye on hospital accounts and offers help to clinics and units where she can. >>More
 

A second UCH patient gets the "Ferrari" of mechanical hearts What used to be a big, clunky mechanical heart and then a pump the size of a personal pan pizza has shrunken, in a new trial, to the size of a golf ball. It's the very thing that's keeping Ron McDougal alive. >>More
 

Some "a-ha" moments  The first 10
entry-level staffers (left) who took the hospital's new "school at work" course to advance their careers got their certificates, while another group prepares to follow. >>More 

Sidebar: After years away from school, some stirrings to go farther The new "school at work" program not only taught staffers new skills and how to make a career plan, but awakened new ambitions. And for some, it was in like a stranger, out like a friend. >>More

Thanks to advances in technology, "cooking" tumors becomes more common  Armed with high-res live images and ever-more precise needles, interventional radiologists and surgeons are now regularly getting at tumors once too risky to remove. They're getting to them, moreover, from inside the body, but others still prefer surgery.  Charles Ray, MD (left), calls the technique a "mainstay of interventional radiology." >>More 

Around UCH Our regular round-up of goings-on, big and small, in and around the hospital This issue: hospital celebrates anniversary of Magnet three-peat (right); make a play for the HRA; pounding the drums for Weight Watchers; Step into Gear start a "shoe-in"; more...  >>More
 

 UCH in the News This issue: insulin turns 90; a Sensa-ble way to lose weight?; spinal-cord injury breakthrough; cop with arresting personality; more. Mentions: Peter Anderson; Ross Camidge; Marc-Andre Cornier; Stephen Davies; Curt Freed; Deborah Hayes; James O. Hill; David Maahs; Lynn Whitten; Wenbo Zhou. >>More

 The cancer poster that travels Also in the Media, Marketing & Bits of Business blog (available only to those with access to Hub): business at www.uch.edu rises dramatically, the new My Health Connection gets off to a good start, more.... >>More

 Dean Krugman's news The latest about what's going on at the School of Medicine. >>More