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Hospital will modify retirement plan Jan. 1 After lengthy discussion, the UCH Board of Directors voted to retain the defined benefit retirement plan, which guarantees a pension to qualified employees -- but with modifications. Hospital leaders stressed the entire retirement benefit package -- the pension plan is just one component -- makes it a leader among health care employers in the Denver market. >>More |
A Rocky Mountain first Recently appointed director of pancreatic surgery Baris Edil, MD (right), recently performed the region's first laparoscopic Whipple procedure to treat a pancreatic cancer patient. The highly complex procedure, which Edil compares to "doing surgery with chopsticks," further expands the range of options UCH offers patients through its new Multidisciplinary Pancreas and Biliary Cancer Clinic. >>More |
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Lab sails through Joint Commission survey A four-day review of the Clinical Lab's extensive and far-flung Point of Care Testing program produced just one finding. The surveyor praised the team's training of staff and oversight of the dozens of departments that conduct and process pregnancy, glucose, coagulation and many other frequently used tests. >>More |
Drugs and money the focus of Pharmacy's "fixers" By keeping a sharp eye on the drugs used -- or sometimes not used -- by providers each day, the Pharmacy billing and audit team help save the hospital and patients time and money and keep UCH in compliance with ever-closer federal scrutiny of drug use. Left to right: fixers Lisa Stanley, Michael McCarthy, Laurie Mooney and Julie Deaver. >>More |
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A kick start for case management With the Nov. 28 launch of new software, case managers, clinical documentation specialists and patient resident liaisons now use the same application to document their work. The anticipated payoffs: improved communication, tighter discharge planning and more precise documentation of the medical record. >>More |
Battle of the Bettes part two In this month's "Campus Diary": after viewing last month's Bette Midler look-alike at UCH, Sarah Kabat (right) decided to issue a challenge. Comparison test inside. Plus: a Hall of Fame athlete in our midst; plumbing the depths with a new staffer; worst holiday gifts ever; more. >>More |
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Moving experience for patients A new progressive mobility guideline now being rolled out to the hospital's critical care units aims to get ICU patients up and moving as early as possible. It's an aggressive, interdisciplinary approach that the medical literature indicates will yield better outcomes for patients. Left: a physical therapist and nurse help a patient recently implanted with a vascular assist device take a daily walk in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit. >>More |
Looking for the edge In "This Hospital Life": Longtime UCH staffer Vivienne Smith (right) decided early in her career to put herself in health care's hot spots: emergency care in a hospital at the heart of sectarian conflict in Belfast, Ireland, and as one of the first nurses in Denver to board medical air transport helicopters bound on rescue missions. Life is a little tamer now, but Smith says she's still looking for "a little risk and an edge." Plus: "What You Read." >>More |
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UCH in the News Prescription for teen drug abuse; a new-age ED; no teeth in dental coverage; more. Mentions: Diane Brunson; John Carroll; Cheryl Chessick; Joseph Cleveland; Baris Edil; Richard Miech; Kevin Rogers; Tony Ruiz; Elizabeth Ryan; Richard Schulick; Andrew Weickhardt; Richard Zane. >>More |
Around UCH Our regular roundup of goings-on, big and small, in and around the hospital. This issue: tower construction-zone blue spruce lives to light another day (right); new CFO comes aboard; Courtyard reopens to staff and faculty; record newbie numbers; more... >>More |
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A family affair Many people think of UCH as an extended family, but some staffers work with their actual extended families. Left: father and daughter Jeff and Lisa Foster, both UCH employees, are part of a family whose connection to the hospital dates back to the '60s. Plus: another UCH dynasty. >>More |
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Campus classifieds More services, products to buy or sell. Also: nearby dining and lodging. Try our new classified ad and guide to campus services section, University Health Marketplace. >>More |
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Dean Krugman's news The latest from the School of Medicine. >>More |
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Med School magazine online The latest issue of CU Medicine Today, featuring stories on a stroke save at UCH; July 20 remembered; personalized medicine; gorilla heart health and much more. >>More |
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Lone Tree Debut Launches Southern Strategy | |
With the opening of the multispecialty Lone Tree Health Center Dec. 4, UCH and the School of Medicine hope to bring a blend of academic medicine and community-based care to the populous south metro area. >>Go |
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Autumn Arrives, Records Fall | With inpatient surgeries leading the way, the hospital continued to post record volume numbers in October. Together with tight expense control, the robust growth helped drive another solid financial month at UCH. >>Go
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Program Fires Desire to Quit | |
A three-year pilot inpatient smoking-cessation program co-funded by UCH, the Cancer Center and the School of Medicine, shuns lectures in favor of motivational techniques designed to help patients find their own reasons for quitting. The program has attracted more than 300 patients; the next step is to analyze outcomes. Above: Kathie Garrett is one of three tobacco treatment specialists who work with patients. >>Go |
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New Team Effort in Stroke Care | | The recently opened clinic treats patients who have suffered recent strokes and who have a confirmed PFO -- a flap between the upper chambers of the heart that may allow deadly clots to pass through. The flap can be plugged with an "occluder" (above), but patients meet with both a cardiologist and a neurologist to decide on the best course of care. >>Go |
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Facilities Staff Beat the Patient Care Clock | | Not all patient care is clinical. It's also unplugging toilets, fixing TV remotes, repairing thermostats, patching walls and more. With improved documentation and reporting, Engineering Services now closes 96 percent of the multitudes of such work orders it receives every day within 24 hours. Above: staffers who have helped make that happen. Left to right: Jenn Jokela, Steve Hatch, Tom Davis and John Morrow. >>Go |
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