Poison Control Center Spotlight 2 ADVANCES MARCH 27, 2014 NEWS FROM THE REGION’S PREMIER ACADEMIC MEDICAL CENTER Royals and hospital: A close-knit team Team physician says and Kansas City Chiefs players partnership continues who require quick access to MRI, X-rays and other healthcare. to expand, strengthen For the second consecutive year, As the gear proceeds from the Royals Diamond up for their home opener Friday, of Dreams fundraiser, which is April 4, team physician Vincent in June, will go to the hospital’s Key, MD, will be watching the Neonatal Medical Home. players’ elbows and hamstrings as During spring training and much as the scoreboard. throughout the season, the team Spring training in Arizona also looks to Key for player health may sound like vacation, but evaluations indicating when play- Key – an orthopedic surgeon at ers are ready to return to hitting The University of Kansas Hospital practice or the pitching rotation – said the six-week camp can be after injury. grueling on everyone, including The June draft means he is the medical staff. already evaluating hundreds of “There’s a lot of work to be other players’ health histories. And done, seven days a week,” said During spring training, Vincent Key, MD, enjoyed a break with players Jarrod Dyson all those players in the minors? Key. Few people realize players (from left), and . Key coordinates with physicians in from the entire Royals system Omaha, Idaho Falls and the team’s are at spring training, including from the hospital, which is in its home games. other minor-league markets for six minor league teams. “There fourth season as the Royals official And last fall the hospital opened those players’ care. are 200 players who need to be healthcare provider, a partnership a Center for Sports Medicine – its But now, with Kauffman assessed and evaluated.” that continues to strengthen. fourth such facility in the metro Stadium ready for its first crowds Fortunately, he is not alone. In ad- Hospital caregivers also staff the – at Truman Sports Complex. of the season, Key said he actually dition to the team’s athletic trainers, stadium’s first-aid stations, caring The center is open to the public can breathe a bit easier: “The Key is backed by other physicians for fans’ medical needs during and is especially helpful for Royals games are the easy part!”

By the Numbers: Cancer center patients To suggest a By the Numbers, email [email protected].

* * After earning commendation on Age at diagnosis Top five primary sites n KUCC n National all eight eligible quality standards, 0-9 22 20.6% The University of Kansas Cancer Breast Center has qualified for the 10-19 31 14.0% Outstanding Achievement Award 20-29 93 11.1% Lung from the American College of 30-39 220 13.8% Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer. 40-49 519 6.7% Prostate 50-59 1,150 14.8% 60-69 1,529 Non-Hodgkin 5.0% 18.5% 70-79 991 Lymphoma 4.3% Percentage of the more than 400 eligible 80-89 397 4.1% Leukemia cancer centers receiving the 2012 award 90-99 38 2.9% *Among 4,990 new analytic cases in 2012 Events PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT Managing depression, Center: Fast help for poison calls anxiety of illness – The class will review recommendations in Poisoning is the nation’s lead- six key areas to explore changes ing cause of death from injuries, a that are practical in managing statistic known all too well at The our emotions, especially during University of Kansas Hospital’s times of illness. The sessions are 6-7:30 p.m. every Monday for four Poison Control Center. weeks, March 31 through April 21, The center’s 11-person staff at Turning Point: The Center for – six critical care nurses, four Hope and Healing in Leawood. pharmacists and a medical direc- Call 913-383-8700 to register. tor – answer calls round-the-clock, every day of the year. Many of the Look good–feel better – approximately 30,000 calls per Learn beauty techniques to help year are from terrified parents who Stephen Thornton, MD, is medical director of the 11-person center. manage the appearance-related have seen their children ingest side effects of cancer treatment. everything from hand sanitizer to state routinely contact the Poison The course is for women only. Poison Control Center grandma’s heart medicine. Control Center for advice.) Two sessions are upcoming: 800-222-1222 1-3 p.m. Tuesday, April 1, at The “Our employees do such an The center is one of 55 poison University of Kansas Cancer amazing job taking a parent from control facilities in the nation. Center-Westwood; and 9-11 a.m. utter panic to relief in a matter Collectively they handle more also using her extensive medical Monday, April 7, at The University of seconds,” said Tama Sawyer, than 3 million calls per year, background. of Kansas Cancer Center-South. Call 913-383-8700 to register. PharmD, who directs the free managing 87 percent of calls over She realized one caller, who service, the only such center in the phone – without needing to thought his shortness of breath was due to exposure to an indus- De-stress your gut – Learn Kansas. send callers to a healthcare facility. how stress affects your gut and “The parents appreciate being They upload data every three trial cleanser, was actually having what you can do to decrease able to talk to an actual caregiver minutes to a national database. a heart attack. A woman called to symptoms, feel more energetic who can assess the situation and Both the Centers for Disease say she thought she had eaten con- and reduce your risk of disease. provide a comforting voice, Control and Prevention and taminated food; Banks recognized The class is 5:45-6:45 p.m. telling them everything is going Homeland Security monitor it the symptoms as appendicitis. Wednesday, April 2, at The “That’s the beauty of our staff,” University of Kansas Cancer to be OK.” for potential hazardous events Center-North. Call 913-588-1227 In addition to receiving calls, throughout the United States. Sawyer said. “Our pharmacists to register. the staff make another 90,000 Anne-Marie Banks, RN, has understand the mechanisms of calls per year to follow up with been a nurse more than 20 years, toxicology, while our nurses have Prepared childbirth – Learn the parents or to check on the last six in our Poison Control hands-on clinical experience. about labor and birth, relaxation patients who have been hospital- Center. She enjoys not only being They’re a great complement to and breathing techniques and ized. (Staff at hospitals around the able to calm frantic parents but each other.” more. A pediatrician will answer questions about newborn care, and there will be a tour of the hospital’s Labor/Delivery area. Classes are 8 a.m.-noon EXPOSURE Saturday, April 5, and Saturday, April 12, at the main campus. More care Call 913-588-1227 to register. for babies Reducing cancer side effects with exercise – Learn how Employees at The University exercise improves common short- of Kansas Hospital last year and long-term side effects such donated $24,000 to the STAR as fatigue, anxiety/depression, Fund, which supports patient insomnia, weight changes and care initiatives. Now, those more. Movements will be effective donations will be shared for any stage of cancer and ability. among 15 projects. In one The session is 1-2 p.m. Thursday, of the projects, our Mother/ April 3, at The University of Kansas Baby unit will purchase Clinical Research Center in Fairway. mamaRoos – devices that Call 913-383-8700 to register. help nurses such as Tiffany Steele, RN, provide an extra Details and more events are at calming environment for kumed.com/event-detail. some of our tiniest patients. Graduate programs among top in nation In the News Graduate programs at the University of Kansas Medical Center A recap of recent articles, TV segments and other media coverage of posted big gains in the 2015 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s the region’s leading academic medical center “Best Graduate Schools.” Among public universities, the School of Medicine increased New cure for hepatitis C – KSHB-41, March 10. Richard Gilroy, 15 positions overall in both primary care and research. The MD, liver transplantation medical director at The University of Kansas School of Health Professions has four programs in the top 10, Hospital, discusses a new medication, Sovaldi, which he tested on and the School of Nursing has three programs in the top 25. patients here. It is up to 98 percent effective in curing hepatitis C. While Overall, 11 programs at the medical center made the list. cost to insurers can span from $94,000 to $350,000 for a treatment, it is Here are the rankings and the schools they are part of: News Briefs News affordable compared to the cost to a patient over their lifetime. 2. Occupational Therapy (Master/Doctorate), School of Health Professions Royals line drive incident – Fox 4 News, March 20. Do 6. Speech-Language-Pathology (Master), School of Health pitchers need more protection on the mound? The topic arose again Professions after a line drive by Kansas City’s Salvador Perez injured a Cincinnati 7. Audiology (Doctorate), School of Health Professions Reds pitcher. “The problem is trying to find the appropriate equipment 9. Physical Therapy (Master/Doctorate), School of Health that doesn’t interfere with the way the game’s played and the comfort Professions of the players,” said Michael Rippee, MD, neurologist at The University 12. Medicine-Family Medicine, School of Medicine 12. Nursing-Midwifery (Master), School of Nursing of Kansas Hospital. “It’s pretty hard to watch. As a physician who deals 17. Medicine-Primary Care, School of Medicine with these types of injuries, you’re always thinking of the worst and 21. Nursing-Anesthesia (Master), School of Health Professions hoping for the best.” 22. Healthcare Management (Master), School of Medicine 24. Nursing (Master), School of Nursing Hospital steps in to help liver transplant patients – The Kansas 32. Medicine-Research, School of Medicine City Star, March 19. Although St. Luke’s Health System has temporarily suspended its 3-year-old liver transplant program, some of those patients New heart defibrillator is less invasive already are being evaluated at The University of Kansas Hospital. “We have Cardiologists at The availed ourselves to their patients,” said Sean Kumer, MD, PhD, surgical University of Kansas Hospital director of our hospital’s liver transplant program, which performed 114 are the first in the region transplants last year, ranking it among the nation’s 10 largest programs. to offer the S-ICD System, an implantable defibrillator Legislation targets tanning beds – The Kansas City Star, March 18. that leaves the heart muscle Kansas lawmakers are considering legislation banning minors from untouched. indoor tanning. The bill was the idea of Joshua Mammen, MD, PhD, a The device is designed surgical oncologist at The University of Kansas Cancer Center. “We can’t for patients at risk of sudden cardiac arrest. The S-ICD really change the risk for many cancers. This is one cancer where we can Electrophysiologist Rhea Pimentel, change the risk,” he said. “Only by acting early will we be able to prevent System constantly monitors MD, says the new device “is perfect cancers that develop 10, 20 years down the road.” a patient’s heart, delivering for patients who don’t need the a lifesaving shock if sudden pacing that a traditional implant- cardiac arrest strikes. able defibrillator provides.” What makes the S-ICD System different from other implantable cardiac defibrillators is it sits just under the skin without the need for thin, insulated wires, or leads, to be placed into the heart itself. This leaves the Ready for heart and blood vessels untouched, providing many benefits for patients. Those include less scarring, less chance of infection and residency a quicker recovery. See a video at youtube.com/user/kuhospital. U.S. medical schools celebrated Re-accreditation cites innovative programs Match Day on March 21. During The University of Kansas School of Medicine has received the lively annual events, graduat- eight full years of continued accreditation. ing students are matched to The re-accreditation, from the Liaison Committee on Medical residency programs around the Education, enables the school to continue granting medical nation. The University of Kansas degrees. The committee pointed to two particular strengths: School of Medicine’s Match Day The school’s “innovative educational programs to address the included 190 students from state’s needs for rural physicians” and its “robust faculty profes- the main campus and Wichita sional development program” at its three campuses. campus. After opening her “We’ve worked hard in these areas, and it’s gratifying to be Match Day letter, a spirited Nia commended for our innovative efforts to train doctors for rural Thompson cheered her appoint- Kansas,” said Doug Girod, MD, executive vice chancellor of the ment to the Ob/Gyn residency University of Kansas Medical Center. program at the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans. grant from the hospital’s Employee director of The University of Kansas Our People Campaign – funded by employees Cancer Center, and Bob Page, our – which he used to purchase 15 iPod hospital president and CEO. Music, iPods and Alzheimer’s – Shuffles, headphones and a com- Jensen, with a “sharp medical Our staff are involved in an array puter to collect and download music. mind to match his disarming person- of innovative research, and they He also received a smaller grant from ality,” played a pivotal role helping routinely discuss their projects at a New York foundation called Music & the cancer center receive National austere medical symposiums. Memory (musicandmemory.org) and a Cancer Institute designation in July But at a folk music gathering? discount from Apple for the iPods. Lakkireddy Bieker 2012. And now he is leading a new Meier’s colleagues has embraced new technology to ad- push to obtain NCI designation as a brought in old music dress heart arrhythmia, he never loses comprehensive cancer center. CDs from home. sight of the fundamentals. “At the end And under Page’s leadership, the Nursing students of the day, the patient comes first,” he article notes, the hospital “has been are helping to create said. “Our ability to provide world-class transformed in the past 15 years.” Since personalized play- care, with access to the latest tools, emerging from state control, the hos- lists for each patient. made us the institution we are.” pital has expanded dramatically and Most of the Bieker relies on a broad base of “routinely receives national awards studies on the knowledge to ensure the hospital’s for patient care. Bob Page deserves a subject have taken operating rooms run efficiently. She lot of the credit for the turnaround.” place at nursing works closely with other nurses, sur- homes; Meier’s gery techs, surgeons and, of course, Research by Adam Meier, RN, caught the attention of the project is believed patients. The hospital performs folk music industry. to be the first in the approximately 100 surgeries a day. nation involving “It is a special role behind the scenes,” Such was the case for Adam Meier, iPods on patients at an academic Bieker said. RN, nurse manager of Neuroscience medical center. Also, the Kansas City Business Journal and ENT Progressive Care (HC 8) at His research is still many months debuted “Power 100,” its inaugural list The University of Kansas Hospital. He away from yielding conclusive re- of the region’s most influential leaders. found himself in the spotlight of the sults. But when he was contacted to The list includes Roy Jensen, MD, Jensen Page Folk Alliance International conven- be on the panel (through the New tion last month in Kansas City. York connection), Meier jumped at Meier is researching how music im- the chance to talk about it. pacts patients who have Alzheimer’s “We want to provide our neurol- disease and other neurologic ogy patients with a resource that disorders. At the music convention can help with their pain, confusion Meet the he shared a panel with former U.S. and impulsivity” he said. “And in Congressman Dennis Moore, who today’s healthcare, we must think has Alzheimer’s, and other experts in about more options that are low- Royals MVP the field of music and memory. risk but potentially high-benefit.” “It was an awesome panel,” Meier {Most Valuable Physician} said. “We talked about the changing Praise in the media – Local Royals Team Physician Vincent Key, MD, and a team of landscape of healthcare and how proj- magazines have shined the spotlight ects like this could be so beneficial.” experts at The University of Kansas Hospital proudly on several employees in recent weeks. provide major league care for the Royals at Kauffman He became interested in the DJ Lakkireddy, MD, cardiologist subject about a year ago while Stadium – and for you at our four Center for Sports at The University of Kansas Hospital, Medicine locations. exploring ways to curb impulsivity and Meagan Bieker, RN, unit among his patient population. He coordinator in the hospital’s operat- Official healthcare provider of the Kansas City Royals – and the athlete in you. found a video online suggesting ing rooms, were named to Ingram’s 913-588-1227 kumed.com/royals music from a patient’s younger days Magazine’s Heroes in Healthcare issue. can evoke earlier emotions, which Lakkireddy is a revolutionary in the can trigger memory. field of electrophysiology. While he Intrigued, Meier received a $5,000

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