insider
NEWS FOR STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS HOSPITAL
Safer patients, great
outcomes: Hospital
pioneers GPS tech
for heart surgery
pg. 10
November/December 2012
Quality issue
UHC: Top 5 again!
pg. 4
OUR TERRIFIC
TRAUMA TEAM
Leading-edge approach saves lives pg. 6
insider
Insider is published bi-monthly
for staff and volunteers of
The University of Kansas Hospital.
Bob Page
President and
Chief Executive Officer
Tammy Peterman
Executive Vice President, Chief
Operating Officer and Chief Nursing
Officer
Julie Amor
Vice President of Marketing
and Corporate Communications
Produced by:
Corporate Communications
The University of Kansas Hospital
Communications Manager:
Kimm Fromm Foster
Editor: Jay Senter
Designer: Brianna Vaughn
Contributors: Mike Glynn,
Carol Keen and Terry Rusconi
This is YOUR newsletter!
We welcome your story ideas,
suggestions and requests for
additional copies.
Please contact:
Jay Senter
Corporate Communications
Westwood Campus, Suite 100
Telephone: 913-945-5196
E-mail: [email protected]
Our Vision
To lead the nation in caring, healing,
teaching and learning.
Our Mission
The University of Kansas Hospital will:
• Deliver world-class patient care
to the people we serve
• Ensure the excellence of future
patient care through exceptional
learning, teaching and research
Our WE CARE Values
• Wellness
• Excellence in patient care
• Competence and leadership
• Achievement through partnership
and innovation
• Responsibility and stewardship
• Engagement with the community
2 | May/June 201 2 | in s id e r
Bob’spage
Great care: our way to give back
I LOOK FORWARD
TO THE HOLIDAYS
EVERY YEAR because
they are a time for giving.
From our Christmas
in October volunteers
donating their time to
fixing neighborhood
houses, to the festive
gathering of co-workers
at our holiday parties, the spirit of giving and
camaraderie is always strong.
One of the most important ways we can give
back to the community – no matter the time of
year – is by continuing to improve what we do,
ensuring the people of the Kansas City region
will enjoy even higher quality care tomorrow
than they do today.
This holiday season, I’m happy to report we are
making progress toward a number of important
accomplishments in our journey to lead the nation
in caring, healing, teaching and learning.
In September, the University HealthSystem
Consortium ranked us third in the country in
its annual Quality and Accountability Study.
This ranking is a testament to our consistently
high quality performance – and a sign of our
commitment to giving patients the best care
possible.
The UHC results underscore the findings of
the 2012-2013 U.S. News & World Report Best
Hospitals lists. Ten of our medical and surgical
specialties, a hospital record, ranked on the top
50 lists this year, and two more were named
high performing. U.S. News & World Report
also named us the best adult hospital in Kansas
City and Kansas. As a matter of fact, we were
one point away from being named on their
Honor Roll list, an elite group of hospitals
making up just 0.4 percent of the nearly 5,000
hospitals in the country.
Results like these can serve as landmarks
for us on our journey to national leadership in
quality and service. But our journey is far from
over.
To reach our ultimate goal, we must not
forget the guiding philosophy that set us on
our path some 13 years ago: Put the patient
first. Please continue to keep those words in
mind as you go about your duties here each
day, remembering to give each patient and
family member the same level of care and
service you would want to receive if you were
a patient here.
Let me close by saying how much I
appreciate your continued commitment to
serving our patients. I extend to you and your
families the very best for a safe, healthy and
prosperous holiday season.
Bob Page is president and chief executive officer
of The University of Kansas Hospital.
bythenumbers
250 LEVEL 1 $900,955
NEARLY
That is how many hospital
and university employees
volunteered for this year’s
Christmas in October. See
photo on pg. 12.
That is the status the American
College of Surgeons recently
reverified for our trauma
program. We are the only
Level 1 trauma center in the
Kansas City area.
That is how much The University
of Kansas Hospital’s 11th annual
Treads & Threads gala raised in
net proceeds to battle lung cancer.
QualityWHAT IT MEANS TO US
Mortality
index for
FY2012
• Risk-adjusted mortality is our primary
measure of quality.
• Risk-adjusted mortality takes into
account the severity of our patients’
illnesses. Rates below 1.0 mean
patients have better outcomes than
expected.
1
MORTALITY INDEX
.683
RISK-ADJUSTED MORTALITY INDEX
0.8
OUR GOAL IS BELOW 1.0
.82
.76
.67
0.6
.61
.60
.75
.76
.75
.67
.68
.68
0.2
0
Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul FY12
11
11
11
11
11 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 YTD
MORTALITY INDEX
With coming changes, quality focus even more important
our success over the past
13 years. Because of your
hard work, we are establishing ourselves as one of
the safest and most qualityfocused academic medical
centers in the country.
However, coming changes in the healthcare environment will make attention to quality and patient
satisfaction more important than ever. In fact, we
are putting a special focus on patient outcomes
in fiscal year 2013, asking everyone to redouble
efforts on these fronts.
As healthcare costs continue to grow, many consumers are now looking for the most affordable
access to high quality care. We know one of the
most important factors in maintaining low costs
and improving quality is reducing the chance of
readmissions. We want to make sure, once patients
are well enough to return home from our hospital,
they have the information they need to stay healthy
without a return admission to the hospital.
.76
0.4
Progressreport
IT IS NO SECRET
QUALITY HAS BEEN
A PRIMARY DRIVER of
.71
As such, this fiscal year we will further emphasize
consistency throughout the continuum of care. Our
goal is to ensure that at every point in patients’ experiences with our organization – from the moment
they are referred to us, to the day they are admitted,
to several months after they’ve been discharged and
beyond – they get the best, most efficient treatment
possible. We’ll focus even more on coordinating our
efforts to continue to ensure every patient gets the
right care, at the right time and in the right setting.
We can never underestimate the effect every one
of our encounters has on patients and their families. They count on us to always give our very best,
no matter the time of day or night.
Yes, the healthcare landscape is changing, and
changing rapidly. But if we continue to work
together and strengthen our collaborative efforts,
we will not only succeed in the future, but thrive.
A special thank you to each of you during this
holiday season for the care, compassion and attention
you give to our patients each and every day.
Tammy Peterman, RN, MS, is executive vice
president, chief operating officer and chief nursing
officer of The University of Kansas Hospital.
Source: UHC
238
Fewer deaths than
expected based on
patient acuity
in FY2012
ON THE COVER:
Members of the hospital’s
interdisciplinary Trauma
Team include (from left)
Tracy McDonald, RN, nurse
manager, Trauma and Burn
Program; Mark Puno, RN,
Emergency Department;
Michael Moncure, MD,
medical director, Trauma
and Burn Program; Elora
Thorpe, RN, nurse manager,
Transfusion Safety; Patrick
Patterson, RN, Surgical
Intensive Care; and Alexsis
Johnson, RN, Trauma Case
Management.
N ews fo r S t af f an d Vo l u n te e r s at The U n i ve r s i t y o f K an s as Hosp ital | 3
UHC
WHEN THE UNIVERSITY
HEALTHSYSTEM CONSORTIUM
RELEASED RESULTS of its annual
Quality and Accountability Study in
September, The University of Kansas
Hospital found itself on familiar – and
always exciting – ground.
Our No. 3 ranking in the study placed
us in the top five for the fourth time in six
years. Since UHC began the study in 2005,
no academic medical center in the nation
has consistently rated as high.
The recognition for quality is not coming
just from UHC. A record 10 of our specialties made U.S. News and World Report’s
most recent Best Hospitals lists. This
summer, The University of Kansas Cancer
Center achieved National Cancer Institute
designation.
The reason for these successes, said hospital leaders, is our ongoing dedication to
producing the best outcomes possible for
patients.
For example, UHC’s rankings formula
places considerable weight on quality measures like mortality, efficiency and patient
safety. Those are categories where our focus
on patient-centered care and evidencebased treatment produces excellent results.
When clinicians from different disciplines
come together to produce the best results,
national recognition often follows.
“We are among an elite group of healthcare providers,” said Tammy Peterman,
RN, MS, executive vice president, chief
nursing officer and chief operating officer.
“It is a remarkable accomplishment.”
In this issue of Insider, we look at three
quality initiatives that are part of the
philosophy that has gained us national
recognition.
4 | N ovember/ Decembe r 20 1 2 | insid e r
: Top 5 again
UHC: SAFETY
VTE focus boosts patient safety
BY THE TIME PATIENTS ARE ADMITTED TO
OUR HOSPITAL, their health is already compromised. But some elements of hospitalization – being
confined to a bed with limited mobility, for example
– pose additional risks of their own.
Such is the case with venous thromboembolism
(VTE), a dangerous condition in which blood clots
form in deep veins. VTE is one of the most common hospital-associated conditions in the country.
Through the work of an interdisciplinary team at our
hospital, rates here have fallen markedly over the past
two years.
“Our work on VTE is a perfect example of how we
are always looking to improve patient outcomes,” said
Liz Carlton, RN, nursing director, Quality, Safety and
Regulatory Compliance. “We come together, figure
out what we can do to increase patient safety and
then work with the right people to make changes.”
VTE is a complex condition with a variety of risk
factors. Age, weight, tobacco use and other illnesses
can all increase a patient’s risk of developing a clot.
Those factors can also complicate the decision-making process about how to administer preventive treatment for VTE.
Using the latest research, the hospital’s VTE team
developed an algorithm to assist physicians in choosing
the best path to preventing VTE for every patient.
Then, through a variety of techniques – from rounding, to distributing badge buddies, to communications
campaigns – the committee spread the word about the
latest best practices. At the bedside, the entire team –
physicians, nurses, pharmacists and others are asked
to evaluate every patient every day for risk of VTE and
ensure they have the best plan in place.
It was an effective approach. Since the team began
working on the issue in December 2010, VTE rates
for patients here have dropped by nearly half, placing
us among the top performers in the country.
“It’s part of our academic approach to patient care,”
said Chris Wittkopp, director, Quality Outcomes.
“We use the latest research to make sure our clinicians
are at the leading edge.”
Patrick Patterson,
RN, places sequential compression
devices on a patient
on the Surgical ICU.
SCDs are one of the
methods clinicians
use to prevent VTE.
Efforts turn VTE trendline down
9.63
8.39
6.59
4.82
4
0
5.65
Efforts from the VTE team, including badge buddies,
communication campaigns and resources on 24/7 (at right),
proved effective. Since December 2010, VTE rates for patients
have dropped by nearly half, placing us among the top in the nation.
Dec Feb Apr
’10 ’11
’11
Jun Aug Oct Dec Feb Apr
’11
’12 ’12
’11
’11
’11
Jun Aug
’12 12
Risk
Factors
is
5 Point Factors
injuryw/paralys
• Acutespinalcord(<1month)
• Multipletrauma )
• Stroke(<1month
3 Point Factors
• Age:>70
rombosis
• Priorhistoryofth hilia
• Knownthromboption
• Shock/Dehydra
• Sepsis
s)=10-20%
7.65
ryHigh(5point
7.16
=4-8%•Ve
7.30
Recommended
Pharmacologic
Prophylaxis
Everypatientwith
≥2riskfactorpoin
pharmacologicprop
tsshouldbegiven
(SCDs/footpumps hylaxisANDmechanicalprop
hylaxis
)ANDearlyambul
ation.
• Enoxaparin40SC
igh(3-4points)
8
QdayOR
2 Point Factors
• Heparin5
,000SCQ8hoursO
• Age:61-70
• Heparin5
ccess
000unitsSCQ12 R
• CentralVenousA 72hours)
hoursif>75years
weight<50kg
or
• Immobilization(>yand/oroncologic
• Activemalignanc y,chemotherapy,
Relative* and
treatment:surger
Absolute Contrain
to Pharmacologic
dication
radiotherapy
Prophylaxis
ts)=2-4%•H
8.35
• Activeble
eding(absoluteco
ntraindica
•
Heparinusewithth
tion)
1 Point Factor
epresenceorhisto
ofHIT.Fondaparin
ry
• Age:40-60years
• Lumbarpunctureouxisrecommended
• HeartFailure
repiduralanesthe
)
within24hours
sia
• Obesity(BMI>29 therseriouslungdisease
• Coagulop
athy(INR>1.5)or
• SevereCOPDoroartum(<1month)
thrombocytopenia
• Pregnancy/postp ceptiveuse
• Recentintraocular (plateletcount<50,000)
• HRT/oralcontraedisease
orintracranialsur
traumaorlesions
gery,
• Myeloproliferativ
• Significan
trenalinsufficiency
• TobaccoUse
e
eldiseas
(CrCl<30doseca
• Inflammatorybowme
refully).
MayalsouseUFH
• Nephroticsyndro
• sHypertensivecrisis
• Sicklecelldisease
* Allousstasi
contraindications
gswellingorven
are relative unless
• Varicoseveins/le undtravel as absolute
specifically noted
• Confiningair/gro ofadmission)
All surgical patients
need VTE
(>4hw/in1week
oderate(2poin
9.12
VTE Risk:M
10.54
VTE Prophylaxis
RATE PER 1,000 PATIENTS
12
prophylaxis within
post-surgery.
Refer to Adult
24 hours
VTE Prophylax
order set or the
is General Surgery
specific surgery
order set for
guidelines.
N ews fo r S t af f an d Vo l u n te e r s at The U n i ve r s i t y o f K an s as Hosp ital | 5
UHC: MORTALITY
When trauma patients reach our Emergency Department, team members like Mark Puno, RN, left,
and Pete Trembley, respiratory therapist, spring into action to stabilize them. A new set of protocols
for trauma care has reduced mortality for some of our most severely injured patients.
LEADING-EDGE TRAUMA CARE
SAVING ENDANGERED LIVES
THE KNOWLEDGE MAY HAVE BEEN
GAINED HALF A WORLD AWAY on the
Tracy McDonald, RN,
nurse manager, Trauma
and Burn Program, helped
lead efforts to institute
new treatment protocols
here.
500mL IV bags instead of 1,000mL bags in their
ambulances.
battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.
And when patients arrive in our trauma bay,
But its application by a team of trauma specialclinicians move to replace lost blood as quickly as
ists at The University of Kansas Hospital has saved
possible.
dozens of lives in the heartland, sending some of
“It’s been an interdisciplinary effort,” said Michael
our most severely injured patients back home to
Moncure, MD, Trauma medical director. “Everyone
their families.
involved in treating critically injured patients has
Starting in 2010, the hospital’s trauma team
come together to make these changes, and they give
implemented a set of protocols based on brandour patients the best chance for survival.”
new research of injured soldiers. The new data
The result: the mortality rate for trauma patients
suggested military
within 24 hours of
trauma patients who “Our teams are tuned in to the latest
admission has dropped
receive fewer IV
by half. In fiscal year
research, which allows us to quickly
fluids, but receive
2010, the mortality
implement new evidence-based standards.” rate for such patients
blood transfusions
earlier, tend to have – Chris Ruder, RN, MS, vice president, Patient Care Services was 1.2 percent, already
better outcomes.
below the national
“The thought is keeping IV fluids to a minimum
benchmark. In fiscal year 2012, the rate was .6 percent.
works by lowering blood pressure, which encour“As an academic medical center, our teams are
ages clotting,” said Tracy McDonald, RN, Trauma
tuned in to the latest research, which allows us to
and Burn Program nurse manager.
quickly implement new evidence-based standards
The hospital’s trauma team began working with
that give our patients the best outcomes,” said
the organizations that provide scene-of-the-accident Chris Ruder, RN, MS, vice president, Patient Care
medical care, asking them to reduce the amount of
Services. “These trauma results are evidence of our
fluid they give trauma patients. Kansas City, Kan.,
commitment to doing everything we can to reduce
Fire Department crews, for example, now administer mortality.”
6 | N ovember/Decemb e r 20 1 2 | insid e r
UHC: EFFICIENCY
Increasing communication, improving efficiency
Medication checks, instructions add layer of patient safety
IN TODAY’S RAPIDLY CHANGING
HEALTHCARE LANDSCAPE, the importance of
caring for patients as efficiently as possible cannot
be overstated.
And with a new series of medication reconciliation processes designed to save caregivers time
and reduce readmissions, The University of Kansas
Hospital is aiming to stay ahead of the curve.
Because patients who come to us for their care
tend to be sicker, they also tend to have complex
medication regimens. Patients at our hospital are
on an average of 14 medications when admitted.
As a result, the potential for adverse drug interactions during and after patients’ stays can be high.
“We treat a population that can be challenging
from a medication standpoint,” said Samaneh
Wilkinson, PharmD, assistant director, Pharmacy.
“Which is why we’re taking these extra steps to
keep our patients as safe as possible.”
In September and October, a new set of medication reconciliation features went live in O2, the
hospital’s electronic medical record. Pharmacists
now enter a validated list of patients’ medications
in the system upon admission. This information is
helpful to providers as they determine appropriate
medication regimens during acute inpatient stays.
Pharmacists also closely monitor patients’
medications and make recommendations through
O2, making it easier for caregivers to review
patients’ medication profiles. As a result, nurses
and physicians are able to focus even more time
on direct patient care.
“Our pharmacists are specially trained to spot
potential drug interaction problems, especially
those that arise when patients start taking new
drugs in the hospital,” said Lee Norman, MD,
chief medical officer. “The medication reconciliation features in O2 are part of a new arsenal of
tools providing an extra layer of patient safety.”
In addition to the changes in O2, pharmacists
now have one-on-one meetings to go over posthospital medication instructions with high-risk
core measures patients before they are discharged.
It is a step studies now show can drastically
reduce readmissions.
“When we’ve worked so hard to help our
patients heal, the last thing we want is for a misunderstanding about a medication schedule – how
often to take a pill or what over-the-counter drugs
to avoid – to land them back in the hospital,”
Wilkinson said. “By meeting with pharmacists
face-to-face, patients understand their discharge
instructions better, and we reduce the chance
they’ll be readmitted.”
Pharmacy
technician
Renee Madden
and resident
Samm Anderegg,
PharmD, discuss
medication
schedules with a
patient. Increased
communication
between patients
and pharmacists
about when
to take which
medications helps
reduce the risk of
readmission.
Patients who
come to
our hospital
are on an
average of 14
medications
upon
admission –
much more
than at most
hospitals. A
new set of
medication
processes
are specially
designed
to keep our
patients safe.
N ews fo r S t af f an d Vo l u n te e r s at The U n i ve r s i t y o f K an s as Hosp ital | 7
inthenews
Third graders thank HEROs for bike know-how
For the 10 hospital employees who volunteered at a Headstrong for Jake bike rodeo
in Gardner this September, just the knowledge they were keeping kids safe by properly fitting bike helmets was reward enough.
But organizers were blown away by the
gratitude they saw in a stack of hand-made
thank you letters sent by dozens of third
graders who attended the event.
Each year for the past four years, the
Gardner Edgerton School District has
arranged for 400 third graders from the
district’s six elementary schools to gather
for the bike rodeo, one of the largest
Headstrong for Jake events of the year.
“The district has made such a big commitment to this event, bussing kids in
so they can all gather together,” said Liz
Carlton, RN, nursing director, Quality,
Safety and Regulatory
Compliance. “And our
volunteers play a crucial role in educating
the kids about bike
safety and fitting their
helmets.”
Hospital volunteers are a fixture
at Headstrong for
Hospital volunteers (above) touched a lot of
Jake events, where
lives during an afternoon in Gardner – and
more than 8,000 bike
received a pile of thank you cards in return.
helmets have been
thank us – and tell us they promised to
distributed to Kansas
wear their helmets,” said Carlton. “That’s the
City-area kids over the past several years.
“All of these kids went out of their way to best thanks we could possibly get.”
SAVE THE DATE
Have you had
your flu vaccine?
Flu Stop Clinics:
7-9 a.m., 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2-4 p.m., B313
Dec. 3 – Hospital
As one of the top academic medical centers
in the nation, it is our responsibility to provide the safest care possible for our patients
and their families. For this reason, we are
asking every employee and medical staff
member to be vaccinated for influenza.
The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention recommend all healthcare providers receive the vaccine annually. We fully
support this recommendation, and have set
a goal of 90 percent participation campuswide. It is imperative you receive a flu shot
this season. The seasonal vaccine is the
best protection you can give yourself, our
patients and family members.
It is easy and convenient to be vaccinated
at any of the free Flu Stop Clinics on campus
through December.
Nov. 15 – Hospital
11 p.m.-midnight
7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.,
Occupational Health (G110 Delp)
Dec. 4 – Hospital
2:30-4:30 p.m.; 7-8:30 p.m.
Nov. 20 – Hospital
Dec. 5 – Indian Creek Campus
8 | November/ Decembe r 20 1 2 | insid e r
Nov. 14 – Hospital
HOLIDAY PARTIES
8-10 a.m., 11 a.m.-1 p.m., B313
2:30-4 p.m.
Dec. 4 – Hospital
Noon-1 p.m.
11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.,
Occupational Health (G110 Delp)
Dec. 5 – Hospital
8-10 a.m., 11 a.m.-1 p.m., B313
Dec. 7 – Westwood
10 a.m.-1 p.m., Multipurpose Room
Dec. 11 – Hospital
8-10 a.m., 2-4 p.m., B313
Dec. 6 – Broadmoor
Dec. 6 – Westwood Campus
2:30-4 p.m.
Dec. 7 – KU MedWest
Noon-1 p.m.
Holiday party trays will be delivered to
Jayhawk, KCCC and MAC locations. Check
with your manager for dates and times.
Wear your hospital ID badge. Nonperishable
food donations for Harvesters will be collected.
Quality
executivesession
Lila Martin, RN, MS
Access PSN
from your
desktop
Starting earlier this fall, the Patient Safety Net
reporting tool became easily accessible from the
desktop of all hospital computers. The move makes
using the system even more convenient for the
hundreds of staff members who file PSN reports
each month.
“Reporting near misses and good catches is
crucial to our culture of continuous improvement,” said Debby Jackson, senior director, Risk
Management. “That’s why we’re taking steps to
make using the PSN system as easy as possible.”
Compared to other UHC hospitals, The University
of Kansas Hospital has a PSN reporting rate
significantly higher than its peers – a sign of our
dedication to doing everything possible to keep
patients safe. For example, in September, our
organizations filed 746 PSN reports. That is compared to an average of 253 for our UHC peer group.
It is a sign staff here understand the importance of
filing reports and feel comfortable doing so.
But hospital leaders want to make sure every
near miss is reported in the system.
“So many staff members already take time to log
good catches,” said Jackson. “Every single one of
these reports is vital to keeping our patients safe.”
Vice President, Perioperative Services
What was your reaction when
you saw we had made UHC’s
top five list again?
I was excited, because I think these
rankings are a reflection of the focus
we have on quality. The UHC formula puts a heavy emphasis on outcomes. So for us to make the top five
again is a sign of our consistent commitment to giving our patients the
best evidence-based care possible.
It’s something we should all be
proud of – but we can’t ever take it
for granted. It takes hard work and
focus to keep producing great outcomes year after year.
You oversee an area of the
hospital that differs from our
patient care areas. How best
can we ensure patient safety
in the surgical environment?
The OR is a complex place. And it
requires a variety of people – nurses,
anesthesiologists, surgeons and
many more – to produce the best
outcomes. So it’s really important
for everybody to work together as a
team and focus on the patient.
To ensure patient safety, there are
a number of things we do the same
way every single time, no matter
what the situation or procedure. We
ensure consistency by using patient
safety checklists. These checklists help
us make sure every single patient is
receiving the same level of care, using
the same best practice standards.
With the addition of Indian
Creek Campus, our surgical
services are expanding. How
do we ensure new employees
understand the importance of
our quality standards?
New employees who join the organization all have the same orientation.
So everyone
knows how
focused we
are on quality and the
patient. And then we tailor our
orientation in the operating room to
those key metrics, standards, policies and procedures we do every
single time in surgery. Again, the
key to the best outcomes is consistency. That’s something we stress
with new employees.
What can hospital employees
do to help keep our quality
performance high?
It is important for every employee
to really think about the policies we
have in place in each department to
keep patients safe. These are things
like performing hand hygiene every
time you go in or out of a patient’s
room. Or confirming a patient’s ID
before administering any medication.
Things like making sure every surface is sanitized when you are cleaning a room or equipment.
When you talk to people about
why they want to work at our hospital, so many say it is because they
want to help people heal. Those
policies and procedures are a big
part of achieving that goal.
I also think it is important our
frontline staff constantly ask themselves, “What can we do better?” I’m
always so impressed by the great
ideas that come from frontline staff
for improving the way we do something. And when you have an idea,
tell your manager so we can test
it. It may end up becoming a best
practice that we spread across the
organization.
Watch the interview on
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Hospital breaks ground with new technology
CARDIOLOGISTS AT THE UNIVERSITY
OF KANSAS HOSPITAL in October
became the first in the nation to use an
advanced technology that helps guide a
catheter through a patient’s heart.
With GPS positioning, MediGuide
technology uses electromagnetic signals
to track miniature sensors embedded
in medical devices, showing their location throughout a procedure. It reduces
radiation exposure 50 to 90 percent for
patients and electrophysiology lab staff
while providing unprecedented views
inside the heart.
Besides being safer, the new technology is more efficient and provides better
results for patients.
“Unlike the GPS in your car, which
uses signals from a satellite to determine
your location and your destination, the
MediGuide Technology creates a GPS
universe within the body,” said Loren
Berenbom, MD, director of the hospital’s
Richard and Annette Bloch Heart Rhythm
Center. “It shows the physician where the
catheter is and the route to take to reach
the damaged part of the heart.”
D.J. Lakkireddy, MD, used the new MediGuide technology during an EP procedure. Senior
EP lab tech Joy Wake assisted.
D.J. Lakkireddy, MD, performed the
historic MediGuide procedure Oct. 3.
Cardiologists Raghu Dendi, MD; Marty
Emert, MD; and Rhea Pimentel, MD,
also are using the innovative technology.
A philanthropic gift from Amit and
Amanda Raizada was essential in acquiring MediGuide. The technology is in
the newly named Raizada Family
Electrophysiology Lab, part of the Richard
and Annette Bloch Heart Rhythm Center.
The Heart Rhythm Center is at the
leading edge of innovation and research
in the country, with five electrophysiologists and state-of-the-art facilities and
technology.
Advanced lung cancer screenings offered at Indian Creek
The University of Kansas Hospital-Indian
Creek Campus in October kicked off a
new program designed to detect a deadly
form of cancer while still in its most treatable phase.
Longtime smokers who are at least 50 years
old may qualify for the new program, which
offers discounted lung cancer screenings.
“Lung cancer by far causes more cancer
deaths than any other cancer worldwide,
yet it is the only one not subject to routine screening,” said Terry Tsue, MD,
physician-in-chief for The University of
Kansas Cancer Center. “Screening everyone for lung cancer is not effective, but
studies have shown low-dose CT screening for those at high risk can lead to early
detection and lives saved.”
The entire screening process takes about
one hour. It includes a face-to-face meeting
to discuss results with a nurse navigator,
Key members of the lung cancer screening
team include (from left) Ryan Hallenbeck,
clinical systems project manager, Joann
Adams, RN, nurse navigator and Tina Davis,
CT technologist.
10 | November/Decem be r 20 1 2 | insid e r
as well as coordination with the patient’s
primary care physician. Physicians promise
same-day results for participants with new
low-dose radiation CT scans.
Funds for the new scanning software,
a nurse navigator for lung cancer and a
separate fund for indigent screenings were
all made possible by the 2012 Treads &
Threads fundraiser at Kansas Speedway.
The process also includes referrals to
help someone to stop smoking or referrals
to a pulmonologist, if results warrant.
This is another example of the hospital’s dedication to using leading-edge
techniques to provide the best care to the
community.
“Studies show one life was saved for
every 320 high risk persons involved in a
low-dose screening program,” said Tsue.
One liver saves two
lives in remarkable
procedure
AS THE REGION’S LEADING
TRANSPLANT PROGRAM, the hospital’s
Center for Transplantation has performed
another first: a segmental liver procedure.
On Sept. 22, Timothy Schmitt, MD, and Sean
Kumer, MD, PhD, performed the procedures.
They removed a large, healthy liver from a male
donor, split it into two lobes and transplanted
one lobe each into two female patients. James
Kindscher, MD, oversaw anesthesiology.
Unlike other transplanted organs, livers
regenerate and can reach functioning capacity in
several hours and near-full size in about six weeks.
Besides the milestone for our hospital, it is
also the first time such a procedure has been
performed in our area. Nationally, adult split
liver transplants are performed about 50 times a
year.
The procedure represents another important
way our hospital is saving patients’ lives. The
need for liver transplants far surpasses the supply
of available donors.
“Unfortunately, we just do not have enough
donor organs for everyone who needs one,” said
Schmitt, the center’s director. “This is one way to
increase the donor pool.”
Nationwide about 17,000 people are waiting
for a liver transplant. The wait list at our hospital
totals 151 people.
Transplant recipients at our hospital on average
receive a liver in 4.3 months, compared with
the national median of 12.5 months. Survival
outcomes at our hospital exceed 90 percent,
which is also better than the national average.
Another example of how far the liver
transplant program has advanced: The segmental
liver procedure took just six hours total. That
includes less than two hours to transplant the
final lobe in the second patient.
“That’s remarkable when you consider 15 years
ago the average liver transplant operation took at
least six hours,” said Richard Gilroy, MD, Liver
Transplantation director at our hospital.
patientsfirst
Service, perception of
quality closely linked
bypaulamiller
I READ A STUDY THE OTHER
DAY THAT REALLY MADE ME
THINK.
watching everything we do.
It means our focus on consistency – making sure we are doing
The study from Duke University’s
the right thing for our patients
business school found asking friends
each and every time – is critical.
and neighbors to recommend a good And it reinforces the importance of
hospital is the best way to find high
explaining what we are doing when
quality care. More than any clinical
we are doing it.
measure, patient satisfaction scores
We may have changed a thouwere closely linked with high quality
sand dressings. But explaining our
hospital care.
process for reducing the risk of
At first, these results puzzled me. infection helps patients understand
But the more I thought about it,
our focus on quality.
the more I underWe may have
stood. The study
cleaned
hundreds
Alicia Klausner, RN
is not saying all
of rooms. But
of the work we
explaining our
do on preventfocus on cleaning
ing patient harm
every surface to
does not matter.
prevent the spread
In fact, I think
of germs helps
it reinforces the
patients underimportance of
stand our passion
that work. What
for safety.
the study found is patients watch
And no matter how many meals
everything we do and listen to
we serve, explaining to our patients
everything we say. They observe
why we check their ID bands
how we interact with them, their
before serving them food reinforces
families and each other. They know, our commitment to safe, patientby our words and actions, if we are focused care.
doing things right.
Remember, it is not just what we
A quote from the study really
do in keeping our patients safe, but
brought this idea home: “Patient
how we do it that truly ensures our
satisfaction is less about trying to
patients feel confident about and
make patients happy and more
well-served by our care.
about increasing the quality of their
interactions with hospital personnel,
All new employees participate in a
especially nurses and physicians.”
customer service class. It is led by Paula
So what does this mean to each
Miller, MT, Pathology and Laboratory
of us? It means we are always “on
Medicine, Jennifer Peavler, Environment
of Care, and Gigi Siers, RN, Quality,
stage” when in the presence of
patients and families. They are truly Safety and Regulatory Compliance.
N ews fo r S t af f an d Vo l u n te e r s at The U n i ve r s i t y o f K an s as Hosp ital | 11
photoworthy
White and blue mark drive-thru flu event
Linda Weeks, histotechnoloist, held a bunch of balloons to attract patrons to
the hospital’s annual Drive-Thru Flu event Oct. 20. Hospital and university volunteers gave the flu vaccine to more than 3,000 people at the popular event.
A little elbow grease, a lot of help
Emily Harvey, RN, Operating Room, was one of more
than 200 hospital and medical center staff who fixed
up Rosedale neighborhood houses as part of the annual
Christmas in October volunteer work day. Now in its
16th year, the program helps renovate aging houses for
low-income and elderly neighborhood residents.
Milestones for
Maternal-Child
Lauren Anderson, music therapist (left),
and Gail Schuetz, RN, nursing director,
Maternal-Child, tested some of the kidfriendly features on the freshly renovated Pediatrics unit, which opened in
mid-September.
Gail Saunders, case manager (right), and Samantha Williams, Social Work
intern, checked out designs for the new Neonatal Intensive Care, scheduled to
open on Unit 55 in spring 2013. The new NICU will have 24 single-patient rooms
and four twin rooms. Each room will have family space. Demolition began Oct. 8.
12 | N ovember/ Decembe r 20 1 2 | insid e r
insight
What are some
of the things you
do to keep our
patients safe?
“Checking
wristbands and
washing hands.”
Painting the town pink
– Julie Rojas, RRT
A group of VIPinkers, including cancer survivors and hospital executives, poured pink
dye into the J.C. Nichols Fountain on the Plaza as part of the ninth annual Pink Fountains
event. Fountains throughout the Kansas City area were dyed pink in October as part of
Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The flu stops here
From left, Tim Kafka, RN, Kristina Call, RN, Laurie Reed, RN, Ladonna Battles, RN, and
Lance Byczek, RN, were among the volunteers to staff the first FluStop clinic of the year.
This year’s FluStop clinics are open to all hospital employees and run through Dec. 11.
Check 24/7 for a full clinic schedule.
Respiratory Therapy
“I check in with
my patients
frequently. That
way, we catch
small things before
they can turn into
real issues.”
– Maggie Straeter, RN,
Unit 53
“I was vaccinated
for the flu! This
way, I won’t expose
our patients to
the flu.”
– Molly Johnson
recruitment tech
N ews fo r S t af f an d Vo l u n te e r s at The U n i ve r s i t y o f K an s as Hosp ital | 13
milestones
Congratulations and thanks to the following employees celebrating
5 years
Kathleen Arthur, Lab Blood Bank
Lorie Baker, Radiology Special Procedures
Anne-Marie Banks, Poison Control
Baldev Bhatla, Core Laboratory
Christina Bradley, Nursing Float Pool
Melissa Buren, Administration
Brenda Burnside, Admitting
Jesse Campbell, Inpatient Pharmacy
Lynne Carlson, Product Line Management
Alicia Contreras, Cardiology
Christopher Coppock, Cardiovascular Management
Lavita Davis, Inpatient Renal Dialysis
Kimberly Diamond, Radiology Support
Tanya Ekilah, Cardiothoracic ICU
Lisanne Ernlund, Surgical ICU
Salome Flor, Westwood Urgent Care
Heather Garza, Central Transport
Amy Goodwin, Nursing Float Pool
Robert Griffin, Rainbow Mental Health
Lindsey Hamblet, Radiology General
Kimberly Hanna, Hematology-Oncology Care
Brian Hansel, Cardiovascular Management
Jeanette Harper, Environmental Services
Brandi Henderson, Hematology-Oncology Care
April Herron, Cardiology
Sherrill Hilton, KU MedWest Family Practice
Heidi Huser, Indian Creek Perioperative Services
Kris Hutfless, Medical Plaza Internal Medicine
Patricia Jackson, Cancer Center Clinical Exams
Jay Jennings, GI Endoscopy
Anthony Jones, Inpatient Pharmacy
Beverly King, Utilization Review
Julie Kleier, Indian Creek Perioperative Services
Jennifer Lawrence, Pediatrics
Sarah Lear, Medical Telemetry Care
Larry McDonald, Environmental Services
Shelly Miller, Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation
Kristin Moshier, Blood and Marrow Transplant
Satrena Murray, Cancer Center Health Information
Management
Sarah Nelson, Rehabilitation Services Physical
Therapy
Eli Noland, Cancer Center Clinical Exams
Diana Parrino-Carollo, Medical Plaza Internal
Medicine
Brooke Patton, Cardiovascular OR Pre-Post
Amanda Perkins, KCCC Southwest Administration
Wendi Phillips, Surgical ICU
Sheena Phillips, Outpatient Registration
Abigail Raynolds, Blood and Marrow Transplant
Rikki Rojas, Perioperative Services Administration
Simpson named Magnet Nurse of the Year
Melanie Simpson, RN, PhD, in
October was named Magnet
Nurse of the Year for Exemplary
Professional Practice at the
national Magnet conference in
Los Angeles, Calif. Simpson was
one of just five nurses across
the entire country selected as a
Magnet Nurse of the Year winner.
In announcing Simpson’s award,
Magnet called her an innovator
and role model. “[She] has dedicated her nursing career to the
prevention and alleviation of pain,”
the announcement said. “As Pain
Management Resource Team coordinator, she incorporates evidencebased pain management strategies
into practice.”
14 | | November/Decem be r 20 1 2 | | insid
insid
e re r
Bridget Schultz, Cardiovascular Management
Rachel Smith, Trauma, Plastics and General Surgery Care
Terri Summers, Virtual Registration
Jill Taylor, Radiology Nurses
Erin Terwilliger, ENT and Urology Care
Latrice Thomas, ENT and Urology Care
Aaron Tracy, Wyandotte Occupational Health
Felicia Wade, KCCC South Administration
Carol Wood, Blue Ridge Cardiology
Trisha Wood, Liver Transplant Acquisition
Patricia York, Audit Compliance
Christine Young, Clinical Nutrition
Alyssa Zimmerman, Cardiothoracic ICU
10 years
Terri Ashley, KCCC East Radiation Therapy
Kristen Belko, Nursing Clinical Excellence
Diane Berkley, KUMPW Laboratory
Sima Bhakta, Mother-Baby Care
Carol Burt, Radiology Medical Office Building
Belinda Campbell, Mother-Baby Care
Glenda Campbell, Radiology
Jaymie Cole, Neuroscience Telemetry
Christine DeVault, Infusion Therapy Clinic
Jamie Gunn, Pediatric ICU
Lillie Haney, Westwood Campus
Shelli Hansen, Blood and Marrow Transplant
Kendra Hooks, Healthcare Information Technology
Services
Susan Inestroza, KCCC South Pharmacy
Jagir Kaur, Nursing Float Pool
Jennifer Kindhart, Leavenworth Cardiology
Kimberly Kling, Healthcare Information Technology
Services
Brenda Knoeber, Health System Finance
Randolph Lutz, Retail Pharmacy
Janet McCon, Sterile processing
Monica McDonald, Virtual Registration
Karen Meschede, KCCC East Radiation Therapy
Brenda Nelson, Admitting
Mary Nesteruk, Overland Park Cardiology
Jamie Newberry, OR Perfusion
Lisa Noell Heater, Creekwood Family Care
Charles Peck, Respiratory Therapy
Christine Perkins, Admitting
LaDine Porter, KU MedWest Internal Medicine
Linda Riley, Tremont Cardiology
service milestones
Lurena Shaw, Cardiothoracic Progressive Care
Deborah Stacy, KCCC East Administration
Kashawna Tatum, Central Transport
Jacqueline Vilkin, Cancer Center Laboratory
15 years
Diane Anderson, Infusion Therapy Clinic
Teresa Cleaver, Administration
Dawn Coleman, Nursing Float Pool
William Hudson, KU Med Cardiology
Carmen Matos, Pre-Anesthesia Testing
Nicole Owen, KCCC Southwest Radiation Therapy
20 years
Diane Bruner, Rehabilitation Services Speech
Van Henderson, Nursing Float Pool
Carrie Luginsland, Trauma, Plastics and General
Surgery Care
Patricia Kinsman, MATCS
Monica Nadine, Inpatient Pharmacy
25 years
Deborah Abreo, Cardiology
30 years
Elena Bradley, Radiology Support
David Herrin, Inpatient Pharmacy
Kenneth Ranum, Health Information Management
35 years
Valerie Johnson, Nursing Float Pool
Patricia Johnston, Creekwood Family Care
40 years
Ruth Fager, Healthcare Information Technology Services
Barbara Massey, Environmental Services
WELCOME NEW HIRES!
To see a list of our newest hospital
employees, visit 24/7.
employee
profile
An eye for quality leads
to new career path
LYNN MURPHY, RN, HAS A
TALENT FOR QUALITY. So
much so, in fact, she has turned it
into a career.
Murphy had been a unit coordinator on Cardiothoracic Progressive
Care working nights and weekends
for more than seven years when an
opening arose for a new Quality
and Safety Inspector in her area.
She had always been interested in
improving patient outcomes, but
until the QSI opportunity arose,
she had not been formally involved
in such efforts.
“Honestly, I didn’t know very
much about the QSI program,” she
said. “But I was looking for ways
to become more involved in that
side of patient care, and I thought it
sounded interesting.”
The position turned out to be a
great fit. After just a few months
as a QSI, Murphy proposed a
unit-based project targeting falls
reduction. She worked with staff to
implement a new falls safety audit
system. Under the system, unit
coordinators check every night to
confirm bed alarms, fall signs, wristbands and socks are in proper use.
The results were dramatic: Falls
on Cardiothoracic Progressive Care
dropped 73 percent. At one point,
the unit went 70 days without a fall.
Murphy’s performance as a QSI
Lynn Murphy, RN
was so exceptional that when
an opening for a new Quality
Outcomes Coordinator arose, quality leaders encouraged her to apply.
She started the new position in
September.
“Lynn has this great gift for spotting trends in data and then working one-on-one with clinicians
to make changes,” said Amanda
Gartner, RN, Quality and Research
nurse manager. “She can take an
idea and turn it into reality.”
Murphy said she loves her new
position – particularly working with
new colleagues.
“We try to take a critical look and
identify areas for improvement,” she
said. “The reaction is so positive –
you can tell people are always open
to ideas that will keep our patients
even safer.”
N ews fo r S t af f an d Vo l u n te e r s at The U n i ve r s i t y o f K an s a s Hosp ital | 15
FIVE-STAR
SERVICE
OUR GOAL: We put our patients at the center of the care equation,
showing them respect and treating them as individuals at each and every
opportunity.
PERFORMANCE GOALS
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE: Our patient satisfaction scores are in the
top 10 percent of all hospitals in the country as measured by Press Ganey
and HCAHPS.
The University of Kansas Hospital’s
Five-Star Performance Goals serve
as the foundation of our patientcentered culture of care. Executing
on these goals sets us on a path
toward achieving our vision of
leading the nation in caring,
healing, teaching and learning.
• The following patient care areas recently ranked in the 99th percentile in the
Press Ganey patient satisfaction survey: Cardiac Intensive Care, Surgical
Intensive Care, Indian Creek, Cardiothoracic Intensive Care, Medicine
Care, Pediatric Intensive Care, Rehabilitation, Medical Telemetry Care,
Transplant Intensive Care, Cardiovascular Progressive Care, Family
Medicine Progressive Care, Mother-Baby/Labor and Delivery, Pediatrics,
Cardiovascular Treatment and Recovery. To date for fiscal year 2013, our
patient satisfaction scores put us in the 84th percentile, below our goal
of being in the 90th or above.
PEOPLE
OUR GOAL: We attract and retain the most competent and engaged
workforce in the area, allowing us to provide high-quality, patientcentered care.
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE: Our staff turnover is low and employee
engagement and retention are high.
OUR FEATURED STAR
THIS ISSUE IS:
Quality
OUR GOAL: We give each and every
one of our patients the safest care,
using evidence-based methods proven
to deliver the best outcomes possible.
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE: Our
risk-adjusted mortality score is in the
top 10 percent of all academic medical
centers in the country.
Read more at right about recent successes
in our other four performance goals.
16 | November/ Decem be r 20 1 2 | insid e r
• The hospital’s continued growth in patient volume and services led
to a record year for employment. In fiscal year 2012, the hospital
brought 1,564 new employees on board. Of those, 178 were new
nursing graduates. The hospital received more than 1,000 applications
for those positions. With the addition of the new staff members, the
total head count for the hospital is now more than 6,200.
GROWTH
OUR GOAL: We ensure the hospital has the capacity to provide our
nation-leading care to all who seek it.
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE: We manage our patients’ stays with us as
safely and efficiently as possible to keep diversion hours and denials as
low as possible.
• Work on the new Neonatal Intensive Care began in October, with a
projected opening date on Unit 55 in spring 2013. The new area will
feature private rooms with infant beds. Each room will also have
sleeping couches for family members. See PhotoWorthy on pg. 12
for more information.
COST
OUR GOAL: We provide the safest care possible in the most
cost-effective manner by eliminating waste and reducing incidents
of patient harm to zero.
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE: Our operating margin allows us to
reinvest in our people and facilities.
• In October, the hospital opened a new warehouse in Shawnee, Kan.,
to accommodate our growing need for supply and equipment
storage. The 35,000-square-foot facility has five times as much space
as was available in the hospital basement. The added space makes
picking stock easier and more efficient, which will help speed service.