PSCU Upper Right
  
      
PSCU Upper Left
  

Volume 8| Issue 17| Through March 17, 2015

 
          
              
Country Inn and Suites  
 
Eye Institute's long envisioned expansion nears completion The project, which adds nearly 50,000 square feet of much-needed new space, will nearly double the number of exam rooms and add a surgical suite with three ORs. The new clinical space opens next week; the ORs are slated to follow April 1. >>More
                                                              
Hospital sets the table for fiscal '16 budget Training on Budget Advisor began this week in preparation for departments to submit detailed budget requests. Broad projections call for increased patient volumes, but there will be challenges to control expenses and make up potential reimbursement dips. >>More
Cancer Center joins national effort to speed targeted research efforts
The University of Colorado Cancer Center last month joined three other institutions as new members of the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN). One key aim: build patient volumes for clinical trials of targeted therapies for specific types of cancer more rapidly. "Nobody's going to be able to do big advances in this area of science unless you have big patient cohorts," says Cancer Center Director Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD. >>More
  
                  
Never too late to step on the field of dreams In "This Hospital Life": UCH volunteer Lew Dunlap (right) grabbed an MVP trophy and sipped champagne last month at the Colorado Rockies Fantasy Camp, proving life can be pretty good at 88. Plus: "What You Read." >>More
New home, bigger plans for surgical training center
The School of Medicine's Center for Surgical Innovation (CSI) is off to a running start in its new, technologically well-equipped home in the Bioscience Park Center on Montview. With a greatly expanded lab, the CSI is looking to expand its mission of training new and experienced surgeons in the latest techniques. Pictured: surgical team from Porter Hospital tries out new hip replacement equipment last week in the CSI lab. >>More
                
A trio who met the healthy challenge Three UCHealth employees who took part in the six-week "Live Healthy Challenge" say the benefits of the program easily repaid the $10 investment. Right: UCH Dermatology Clinic nurse Kathy Wilson, RN, upped her activity with the help of a Fibit and her smartphone. >>More
The team is the thing for MD of the year Across more than a decade as medical director of the Level I Nursery at UCH's Birth Center, Mary Kohn, MD, has made it her business to raise the bar on the quality of care while building bridges to a large contingent of nurses and fellow pediatricians. She's made an impression: Kohn (near right, with Birth Center Associate Nurse Manager Anne Behring, RN) earned Medical Staff honors as "Full Time Physician of the Year." >>More
                   
Around UCH Goings-on, big and small, in and around the hospital. This issue: Get the blues this Friday; new patient and provider satisfaction guru; come see about SAW; late-night Colfax detours on the horizon; more. >>More
The west is the best
Staff from the University Family Medicine practices at Westminster and Boulder (left) earned the latest "Teams We Treasure" honors for their unstinting service to patients. >>More
Dean Krugman's news The latest about what's going on at the School of Medicine. >>More

              
Bigger House, More Cleaning

The hospital's robust volumes are good for the bottom line. But more patients mean sharply increased demand for inpatient room cleanings, a frequently overlooked sidebar of the success. Environmental Services handled nearly 58,000 room clean requests in 2014 -- more than double the figure just two years ago -- and the number is likely to increase with the next phase of the AIP 2 expansion. >>Go

                                             
Surgeon's Career Path Smashed Stereotypes

Opportunities for women were scarce for UCH spine surgeon Evalina Burger, MD (above), in her native South Africa. But she overcame that an many other obstacles during a remarkable career -- including the assumption she couldn't shoot straight. >>Go

                    
Bridges to Care Backers Ponder next Steps

The federally funded "Bridges to Care" program, which targets frequent utilizers of ED and hospital services at UCH and connects them to primary care and mental health services, has produced notable successes in decreasing utilization and improving patient care. With the grant coming to an end this summer, hospital and Metro Community Provider Network leaders are developing ways to sustain the gains. >>Go

                                                              
  
Providers' Holiday Hustle Makes Transplant Happen
It was down to the wire last Thanksgiving for Bob Deutsch (above) as his thickened and scarred lung tissue brought him to the brink of death. But a team of UCH physicians acted quickly to get him listed for a lung transplant, setting the stage for a remarkable finish to the story. >>Go
               
UCH in the News

Unending life to suicide debate; governor says mind your meds; flooring giant flops over formaldehyde; more. Mentions: Jaime Arruda; David BadeschTodd Bull; Ross Camidge; Don Gilden; Chris Hoyte; Robert Valuck; William Vandivier; Heidi Wald; Jonathan Woodcock; Matthew Wynia>>Go

             
Facetime on Facebook

News, views, and stories of inspiration on the UCH Facebook page. >>Go