University of Kansas Hospital

The University of Kansas Hospital, also known as KU Med, is a nonprofit, academic medical center located in Kansas City, Kansas, United States. In 1998, it became an independent entity that receives no funding from the state of Kansas. The hospital is affiliated with the University of Kansas Medical Center, which comprises the schools of medicine, nursing and allied health. In 2006, the hospital celebrated 100 years of providing care. The University of Kansas Hospital combines education, research and patient care. Physicians represent more than 200 specialties.

Medical Center

Founded in 1906, KU Medical Center is a campus of the University of Kansas and offers educational programs through its Schools of Allied Health, Medicine, Nursing, and Graduate Studies. The campus consists of academic units operating alongside The University of Kansas Hospital, which provides opportunities for clinical experience and residency positions.

History

The Kansas University School of Medicine in Lawrence began as a one-year premedical course in 1880 and then offered a two-year course in 1899. It became a four-year school on April 21, 1905, when three private medical schools in the Kansas City area merged: the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Kansas City Medical College and the Medico-Chirurgical College.

In 1906, Dr. Simeon Bishop Bell (May 13, 1820 – January 16, 1913) donated the land and cash totaling more than $100,000 to establish the original Eleanor Taylor Bell Hospital, in honor of his wife.

That same year, the School of Medicine moved into the hospital, located on "Goat Hill" in Rosedale, at what is now Southwest Boulevard and 7th Street, in Kansas City, Kansas. Basic sciences were still taught in Lawrence, while clinical studies were taught at the Rosedale facility. A School of Nursing was also established in 1906.

In the early 1920s, the medical school moved south to its present location at 39th and Rainbow Boulevard, and in the late 1940s, it was renamed the University of Kansas Medical Center. During the 1960s and 1970s, all studies moved to Kansas City, the School of Allied Health was established, and a new hospital officially opened in 1979.

The hospital marked an important milestone in 1998, when it became an independent Hospital Authority, which receives no state funding. The hospital's official name is now "The University of Kansas Hospital."

A sixth-floor was added to the hospital in 2003 to meet a growing demand for patient services. An expanded and renovated Cancer Center and new Breast Center, both featuring the latest technology and many patient amenities, opened that same year. Also in 2003, construction began on the Center for Advanced Heart Care, an expertly designed cardiac complex focused on serving the needs of patients and families, from curbside to bedside.

Awards

• 2009–2010 — U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Hospitals ranked the hospital in the top 50 for Ear, Nose & Throat, Heart & Heart Surgery and Kidney Disorders
• 2009 — Modern Healthcare named the hospital among the Best Places to Work in Healthcare
• 2009 — American Hospital Association's Hospitals & Health Networks magazine ranked the hospital among the nation’s 100 Most Wired hospitals
• 2007 — U.S. Department of HHS awarded the hospital and its partner, Midwest Transplant Network, a third consecutive Medal of Honor for organ donation
• 2006 — American Nurses Credentialing Center awarded Magnet designation to the hospital, the first in Kansas to attain this coveted status

Patient Satisfaction

In fiscal year 2009, the hospital ranked in the 90th percentile compared to more than 1,000 hospitals.^{[citation needed]}

Cancer care

The University of Kansas Cancer Center earned the Outstanding Achievement Award for exceptional quality from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer in 2007. The outpatient Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Care Pavilion is designed to provide advanced medical care. The University of Kansas Cancer Center was awarded National Cancer Institute designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center on July 12, 2012.

Heart care

Cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons are among the most respected in the U.S. The Center for Advanced Heart Care is one of the country's most up-to-date cardiac facilities, designed from the ground up for patient comfort and convenience.

Organ transplantation

Hospital transplant teams have developed innovative techniques that minimize transplant trauma and prevent organ rejection. The hospital has one of the highest survival rates – and one of the shortest waiting lists – in the country for kidney, liver and pancreas transplant.

Deep brain stimulation surgery

The University of Kansas Hospital and Medical Center were among the primary testing centers for using DBS to treat Parkinson's disease and essential tremor. These tests helped gain Food and Drug Administration approval for DBS. A world-renowned neurologist and a leading movement disorders neurosurgeon lead a team of specialists, making the hospital unique in the region for its multidisciplinary approach to DBS.

Hospital by the numbers

4,321 employees
481 physicians
570 staffed beds
298,920 outpatient visits/year
22,393 inpatient discharges/year
43,392 emergency department visits/year

References

The Hopsital currently has a capacity of 606 beds.

External links

• The University of Kansas Hospital Official Website
• The University of Kansas Medical Center Official Website