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|  Capacity crunch brings efficiency to the fore once more A prolonged census spike throughout much of March overflowed inpatient beds, sending patients to the ED and the Surgical Surge Unit. The return to the capacity challenges of previous years has refocused attention on timely discharges and more efficient use of time and resources on the units. >>More
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Transplant 2K A long-dormant liver transplant program at UCH revived in 1988 with the arrival of surgeon and director Igal Kam, MD. Late last month, the program reached a combined total of 2,000 adult and pediatric liver transplants, a testament to the depth of its team of providers and staff. Kam (standing, far right, with pediatric transplant colleague Frederick Karrer, MD) last week welcomed back liver recipients Mary Zamora Thompson (seated, far right) and Evelyn Rivera. >>More |
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 Recently arrived Transplant Center director focuses on efficiencyWith years of experience on the organ procurement side of transplant, Deidre Ellis, RN, MBA (left) brings a fresh perspective to the well-respected program at UCH. Task number one: increase volume by working smarter. "Growing transplant centers is about the ability to serve more patients, and the ability to serve more patients is being more expert at efficiencies," Ellis says. >>More |
Rx for reducing readmissions The search for ways to prevent heart failure patients from having to return to the hospital follows many paths. A recently launched pharmacy-focused pilot aims to educate heart failure patients about their medications, ensure they are able to get them, and follow up to monitor their progress. Right: Christine Jones, MD, MS, is director of Care Transitions for the Hospital Medicine Group at UCH. >>More |
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 Leveling barriers to care the old-fashioned way |
Discovering the secret lives of patients: the key to effective care? In "This Hospital Life": We can easily tell patients what to do, but success could be hard to come by unless we find out who they are. Plus: "What You Read." >>More
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|  Around UCH A round-up of goings-on, big and small, in and around the hospital. This issue: Nightingales sing (left); a big win for IHQSE; "Blue Distinction" for Bariatric Surgery; UCH-linked statin study draws attention; a pregnant pause at Lone Tree; more. >>More
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Putting a price on life Amid discussions of breakthrough cancer therapies, there are questions about their staggering costs. The Cancer Center's Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, and colleagues suggest in a recent publication that seemingly black-and-white cost calculations can be built on less than solid ground. >>More
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|  A tip of the hat to the teachers The "Preceptors of the Quarter" for the first three months of 2015 provide a strong guiding hand and willing ear to the many providers they help to orient to the fast-paced environment at UCH. Left: Gary Pursley, RN, excels as a mentor in the Cath Lab. >>More
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Follow us on Facebook News, views, stories of inspiration, and general good stuff at UCH. Up now: check out the hospital's Mother Goose (right). >>More
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Dean Krugman's news The latest about what's going on at the School of Medicine. >>More
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In Longmont, UCHealth Aims to Build a Better Hospital |
With a groundbreaking for a new, state-of-the-art facility planned sometime this summer, UCHealth makes a foray into an area with a burgeoning population. It will also serve providers at the Longmont Clinic, which joined the system fold last January. >>Go |
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Facial Surgery Aids Recovery after Grisly Grizzly Injury |
A mother grizzly bear protecting her cubs inflicted gruesome physical devastation on Nic Patrick (above) after the Wyoming man accidentally intruded on her territory in 2013. A year and a half of painstaking plastic and reconstructive surgeries at UCH repaired much of the damage to Patrick's face. His respect for the animal who wounded him is unscathed. >>Go |
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New Grad RNs Learn the
Ropes in Month One |
The latest cohort of UCH's Graduate Nurse Residency Program arrived in February. After the first month of challenging clinical and classroom work, two of the new grads discuss their experiences in the first of a series following them through the year. Above: Maggie O'Connor, RN, summed up her opening days on the Transplant Unit succinctly: "I'm worried 100 percent of the time." >>Go |
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Inpatient Units Go Zen |
Nurses and other medical providers put plenty of pressure on themselves to take good care of their patients. They don't always do the same for themselves, putting them at risk of burnout and compassion fatigue. "Zen rooms" in a handful of UCH units offer providers a respite from the constant pressure of a shift. Above: a recently opened Zen room on the Medicine Specialties Unit. >>Go |
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Big Pink Bus Rolls On |
The Pink Life Saver mobile mammography unit left the garage for a test drive in 2012. Since then, it's been a smooth-sailing success for the hospital. It makes more stops, handles greater volumes, and most importantly, has helped a growing number of women catch cancers early. Above: Arletta Swain of Children's Hospital Colorado recently took advantage of a Pink Life Saver stop on the Anschutz Medical Campus. >>Go |
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UCH in the News |
Kidney donation effort keeps on trucking; head-scratching psoriasis connection; medical marijuana benefits still hazy; Angelina Jolie's spotlight on cancer; more. Mentions: Ross Camidge; James Cooper; Christina Finlayson; Aleksandra Florek; James O. Hill; Igal Kam; Frederick Karrer; Jean Kutner; Michael McDermott; Christopher Porter; Teri Schreiner; Richard Zane. >>Go |
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