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Volume 7 | Issue 13 | Through January 7, 2014

 
 
 
    
Country Inn and Suites  
       
    
Tower Tales: the Sequel 
Just six months after wrapping up the first phase of the AIP 2 tower expansion and years before anyone thought it would be needed, the hospital is putting $75.5 million toward converting "shelled space" into another med/surg and critical-care unit and four new ORs to handle growing volume. >>More
                             

A campus fixture moves on Tony Ruiz, the man who played a key role in building huge swaths of the Anschutz Medical Campus, has brought in every UCH building on what was a soon-to-be-shuttered army base on-time and sometimes under-budget. Now, after 18 years, he is retiring.   >>More 

                    
"What would Tony do?" As UCHealth's vice president of facilities, design and construction, Sean Menogan (left) knows he will be asking himself that question when his boss, Tony Ruiz, retires early next month. Menogan and senior project manager Catherine Reeves reflect on the challenges and satisfactions of working for a demanding boss with a penchant for pointed questions. >>More

                       
Flu season hits early; UCHealth prepared More than 99 percent of UCHealth's nearly 15,000 employees complied with the system's mandatory flu shot policy. Good thing: H1N1 is making a comeback and the pace of influenza hospitalizations at UCH is well ahead of last year's. >>More
       
Back from the brink Lawrence James (left, with wife Deanna) suffered a heart attack, repeated cardiac arrests, and tachycardia that kept him clinging to life at UCH for weeks. But the biggest hurdle to recovery he ultimately faced was a lack of insurance. >>More

                          
A fond look back In "This Hospital Life": we look back at 2013, a year of awards, openings, closings, go lives and building, building and more building. Plus: "What You Read." 
>>More


               
Hospital sends seasons greetings to December dynamos
The Acute Care for the Elderly service (left) and the Women's Integrated Services in Health (WISH) Clinic earned recognition as this month's "Teams We Treasure." Both groups excelled at improving their workflows, communication and service to patients.  >>More
                            
No 'I' in 'Team'  Anis Mohammadi (right), a medical assistant in the WISH Clinic, stepped in on short notice to cover when a colleague was badly injured. "That's the best way to do it," she says. "There is no reason to be asked." Mohammadi is one of three UCHealth employees selected this month for exemplifying the system's "Standards of Excellence."  >>More

                
Around UCH  
Take a run at leukemia; Dukes of Hazzard to make a dash at Marion Downs; top nurse preceptors; FNS dishes for employees (left); more. >>More
    
      
Follow us on Facebook The latest happenings at UCH are on our Facebook page. Look for regular updates on news, events and human interest stories featuring the hospital and the people who make it great. >> More
Dean Krugman's news The latest on what's going on at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. >> More
Follow the Insider on Twitter Regular news, updates and commentary on Insider stories as well as hospital, campus and health care happenings. Click. >> More to become a follower.
Take Three (Weeks)
This is the last Insider of 2013. We're taking a break next week to ring in 2014 and will be back with the next issue Jan. 8. Happy New Year!

Expansion Decision a Numbers Game
Through the first four months of fiscal year 2014, the hospital posted significant volume increases in nearly every inpatient and outpatient category. With daily censuses way up and OR schedules tight, building additional capacity made sense to the hospital and system boards of directors, which approved funds to pay for it. >>Go
                
UCHealth Gets into an Insurance Business
A new division, UCHealth Plan Administrators, will help employers offering employees self-funded health insurance plans. The centerpieces: a wide array of services, plan design and access to UCHealth's network of hospitals, clinics, primary care physicians and specialists.  >>Go
     
CU's Quest for a Better Drug Test
CU Toxicology is a non-profit, but it aspires to be a billion-dollar enterprise with a new drug screen capable of detecting far more substances than traditional tests. It's drawn good reviews from providers at UCH, a beta site for the new technology. >>Go
                        
  
Procedure Counters Tougest Cancer Foes
It's been around nearly 30 years, but hyperthermic intraperioteneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) still has critics. It can be a lifesaver for patients battling virulent cancers of the abdominal cavity, contend UCH surgeons Nathan Pearlman (above left) and Barish Edil. Plus: One 24-year-old patient with the rarest of diseases would agree. >>Go
                        
  
A Cut above the Rest
8 West CNA Mary Kunic (above) donated about a foot of her hair last month to an organization that makes hairpieces for disadvantaged kids with medical conditions that rob them of their locks. It's the fifth such donation for Kunic, who knows she's got more where that came from. >>Go
UCH in the News

Stopping frostbite cold; grape seed v. prostate; research going to pot; more. Mentions: John Carroll; Eric Coleman; Katie Fuenning; Gordon Lindberg; Edward Maa; Kathy Major; Eric McCarty; Christopher Schneck; Alpna Tyagi; Robert J. Valuck.

>>Go