Suggestion: Folks I am searching for more information regarding the donation of my body for study or research to the University --after I have died. I am currently not expecting that event in the near future. I am 43, in reasonably good health, but I wold like to know the details and explore possible options while there is less question of my soundness of mind.
Response: Thank you for using the Pulse Suggestion Box. Please contact the Willed Body Program at 913-588-2735. (1998-11-18 11:18:00.0)
Suggestion: I refer to the On-Line directory a lot, but wish it would have the Location indicated, for regular mail or going to meet with someone. No one refers to the paper copy of the directory any more, since it is so out of date.
Response: More detailed information is available in the On-line directory. After you search for a person, you will receive a table displaying that person's name, department, phone number, position and email address. If you click on the person's name you will get a more detailed display that includes the information you have requested. Thank you forusing the Pulse Suggestion Box. (1998-11-18 11:18:00.0)
Suggestion: Daily calendar of events, esp speakers, seminars listed ALL in one location on Pulse or whatever--there are some days when there is time to attend, some events are not advertised, and bulletin board flyers are sometimes removed.--would like topunch up a date and see what is available, topic, speakers, location, etc. thanks
Response: Thank you for your suggestion. We do have a Campus Events Calendar on Pulse. It is located at http://www2.kumc.edu/calendar/. Please let us know if this is not what you are looking for. (1998-11-18 11:18:00.0)
Suggestion: Hi, I work in Surg. Path.,1604 Bell. The department that is to fix the handicap devices on the doors from the hosiptal parking, across the bridge, should be commended on the swift completion of fixing the door openers. That it took only three weeks should not dissway them from doing just as good a job in the furture. I know I was just as pleased in explaining to some of the visitors that had inquired. Mostly that we work very hard a K.U. Thanks a lot.
Response: Thank you for using the Pulse Suggestion Box. I will make sure the appropriate shop(s) in Facilities Management are made aware of your appreciative comments. Thanks. Deb Brogden, Office of the EVC (1998-09-24 12:40:00.0)
Suggestion: How Many years to become a M.D. & be able to start a family practice?
Response: Thank you for using the KUMC Pulse Suggestion Box. I did contact our School of Medicine Office of Admissions and they offered me the following information "MedicalSchool can be completed in four years and Family Medicine residency is three years. You could set up practice after seven years if there are no set backs (i.e. pass Part I andPart II of the USMLE first time, etc.)." Please let me know if there is any additional information you need. Debra Brogden, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor, 913-588-1440 (1998-09-24 12:40:00.0)
Suggestion: I THINK A BIKE RACK NEAR THE FRONT LOBBY OR ER WOULD BE A GREAT BENEFIT. MANY WORKERS LIVE NEARBY AND WOULD APPRECIATE THE CONVENIENCE. THE IMPACT ON WORKER HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT NATURALLY WOULD POSITIVE TOO. SO WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT? I'M SURE THAT IT WOULDN'T COST MUCH OR BEVERY DIFFICULT. THANKS FOR THE CONSIDERATION.
Response: Thank you for using the Pulse Suggestion Box. I understand from Marla Bernard in the Hospital Executive Office, that a location has been identified for a bike rack and she is working with Mr. Rick Johnson in our Public Safety department. Please let me know if there is anything else we can do for you. Debra Brogden, Office of the EVC (1998-09-24 12:40:00.0)
Suggestion: Please tell me how long it takes to become a doctor.
Response: You must complete an undergraduate baccalaureate degree by the time of enrollment in the School of Medicine. Medical School is a 4 year program. After graduation from medical school, you must complete a residency program which is 3 to 5 years, depending upon your chosen residency to be licensed to practice medicine. If you wish more information you can check out our web site (1998-09-11 12:40:00.0)
Suggestion: The paper towels supplied by the hospital are insufficient in quality. When you grab one with wet hands, it falls apart before you even get it out of the dispenser. Then you're left digging a finger in the dispenser slot in hopes of getting a new one. How sanitary is this??? How about switching to something usable???
Response: Thank you for using the Pulse Suggestion Box. Randy Bailey, Director of Environmental Services, has just informed me that KUMC has purchased a better quality paper towel. Environmental Services is in the process of depleting their supply of the lesser quality paper towel. Within the next few weeks we should be using the new paper towels. Thank you. - Debra Brogden, Office of the EVC (1998-09-11 12:40:00.0)
Suggestion: You need a bigger medical dictionary I looked up the word Glucono Delta lactone and found nothing under all three words. Not very Professional if you ask me and you should since I was thinking of going there.
Response: I'm sorry, but there is not a medical dictionary on our web site. If you were using our site search engine, you would only find those words if they were mentioned somewhere in our web site. Not all of the clinical services available at the Medical Center are on our site yet. If you call the physician referral line at 913-588-1227 locally, 800-332-6048 in Kansas or 800-255-6151 from anywhere else, you may be able to get help about this topic. (1998-09-11 12:40:00.0)
Suggestion: Please make your "End of Life" resource handbook available on your web site.
Response: This handbook contains many policies and procedures that tell how to deal with all kinds of issues regarding the end of life. It includes everything from who to call when someone dies to how to handle an organ donation upon death (and many many more things). It is used a lot and there is a hard copy on every nursing unit. The HTML Processing Unit is working with the hospital to make this available on our web site. Thank you for your suggestion. (1998-08-30 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: I'd like to know how I can get any information about studying dental medicine at KUMC.
Response: Thank you for using The University of Kansas Medical Center's Pulse Suggestion Box. KUMC does not offer a dental program. You may have us confused with the University of Missouri-Kansas City. I think they do offer a dental program. Thank you, Debra Brogden, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor (1998-08-30 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: I am trying to find online information about continuing education courses,namely the Medicine and Religion conference that is held every October in Battenfeld. Is there a website somewhere on Pulse that is devoted to listing CE conferences and not just in hospital CE like ACLS. Thank you in advance.
Response: The University of Kansas Division of Continuing Education has a web page at http://www.kumc.edu/kuce/kumcce.html. The program you are asking about is listed, but does not have its own web site. The contact person is Andrea Shaw. The phone number to call for more information is 913-588-4488. (1998-08-30 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: What drives patient's crazy? One thing that drives me crazy is having a test or procedure and finding out that is was not covered because of the need for a referral. I can't tell you how many times I have had to pay out of pocket because I was told I didn't need one or that it had been taken care of. Later, only to find out this was not true. A way to handle this might be to capture that information for the patient. Documenting that a referral was received what it covers and for how long. As you have stated before more and more is being done on an outpatient basis.
Response: I can certainly empathize with this concern. Regrettably, I think patients and healthcare providers, are too familiar with the frustrations often encountered due to the ever-increasing complexities of the managed care environment. The specific requirements for referrals from the primary care physician, to a specialist, and the subsequent requirements for additional pre-authorizations directly from the health plan for certain procedures and or tests, vary so widely from one plan to another, that it is difficult to respond directly to this patient's concerns without knowing the particulars about the healthcare plan and services involved. Generally (and again, generalizations are risky due to the numerable variations among plans) plans place responsibility with the patient for obtaining the original referral from their primary care physician to the specialist. From that point, if services considered "beyond the scope" of the original referral are required, it is typically considered the specialist's responsibility to work with the patient, primary care physician and/or plan, to acquire the additional approvals. Currently, KUMC/KUPI have about 125 different managed care contracts. They all have their own requirement variations which also change from time to time, so as much training and as many resources as we try to make available to the physicians' practices, it is a challenge. And, as much as we wish not, confusion and errors can occur with plan requirements - if, however, the fault lies with the physician office, the patient should not have any resulting financial burden. As consumers of healthcare, the best thing we can do to avoid unpleasant insurance coverage surprises is to carefully read and become familiar with the requirements and restrictions of our own health insurance. Then throughout a course of care, to work closely with both our physician and insurance carrier to ensure that requirements are met by all involved parties to assure we receive the maximum benefit provided by the plan. If patients have related dissatisfaction or concerns about one of our practices, we certainly want to know about it so we can work to correct and resolve it. If, as healthcare consumers, we have similar concerns with our health insurance plan, it is equally important that we let our insurance carriers know about it. Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this comment from the Pulse Suggestion Box. Suzanne Scott, Practice Services Manager, KUPI (1998-08-30 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: Your websites, http://www.kumc.edu/som/kupremed.html as well as the pulse site has problems. Almost all subsites yield error messages. I was trying to obtain the e-mail address of one of your current students. At almost each turn I reached an in-operative file.
Response: Thank you for using the Pulse Suggestion Box. From the time indicated on your message, it looks like you were trying to use this web site at a time that we were experiencing network problems that affected our web servers. Please try again and let me know if you are still having problems. It's also possible that what you were trying to look at is http://www.kumc.edu/som/premed/kupremed.html. You will not be able to obtain email addresses of our students. Based on FERPA, the students have requested that their email addresses not be made available to the public on our web site. - Cheryl Pace, Assistant Director for Information Services (1998-08-21 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: I was a patient in your facility a few months ago and recieved very poor care. I need heart surgery yesterday but your hospital has got me to where I'm afraid to go to any hospital, let alone yours. If possible is there counselors available to help me? I don't want to die, but I fear the alternitive more.
Response: Thank you for using the KUMC Pulse Suggestion Box. I am so sorry that you had an unpleasant experience here at the Medical Center. A nurse counselor by the name of Noreen Thompson will be calling you either Thursday or Friday to discuss your experience and to maybe have you come in and meet with her. Ms. Thompson works with patients with medical illnesses. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do. Debra Brogden, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor, (913) 588-1440 (1998-08-21 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: If a patient is being seen for an outpatient procedure and for some reason we are seriously behind schedule, someone should speak to the patient and let them know how much longer it will be, and whether they can eat or drink anything. This allows the patient to run quick errands or allows them to go to lunch with whoever brought them to the hospital.
My brother-in-law had the same experience that was expressed in your last e-mail. He has had 3 outpatient procedures, being told to come in at 8:00am and not being seen until 2-4. If we had done a better job assessing the situation and keeping him informed, he would have been able to over look the schedule over-runs easier.
One hospital in the area goes as far as to have volunteers go to the Day Surgery waiting areas and ask if those waiting would like something to drink. While, I know that this may be impossible with our volumes, I can tell you that it made an impression on me. It was obvious that they were striving for a patient center care environment. The competition for patients is tremendous and we need to remember everyone expects medical competancy from any medical facility. It is the little things that will make us stand out.
Response: I would like to thank you for bringing this problem to our attention. The KUPI Clinical Practice Areas do some outpatient procedures. I think that is unimaginable not to keep patient and family members appraised of the status of their appointment or that of their loved one. I am sorry if you or your brother were inconvenienced in any of our practice areas by our lack of consideration for your feelings. I will certainly discuss this at Nurse Manager Meeting this Friday and make sure that respect for the patient's feelings and time are reinforced in all of our physicians' offices. Your suggestion of using volunteer manpower is quite interesting and will be considered. Thank you again for bringing this to my attention. KUPI administration is dedicated to quality in the delivery of healthcare. We will certainly make sure that no other patient or family member is overlooked in this manner. - Susan DeCoursey, Patient Services Manager, KUPI (1998-08-21 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: Your pages have a lot of dead ends. I agree 100% with the first suggestion of the list added august 7. The Ophthalmology Department was not available from your "how to contact some of us" page. The Ophthalomology dept. page has no links to its clinic. YOu do have an ophthmalogy clinic dont you? I other questions, and if you will bear with me, a few suggestions. I would like to set up an eye exam for next tuesday or Wed. afternoon, Why can't I do this from your home pages under either departments, Clinics, patient, outpatient, outreach or ... ? I would like to get some information on reduced rates / sliding scale payments for low income persons. Why cant I find that on your pages? I quess that there is a lot of distributed responsibility for the maintainence of the various pages, but there seems to be a lot of holes and dead ends and misleading labels. for example, why is "resources" only literature searches?
Response: Thank you for using the Pulse suggestion box. I will try to address each of your questions. Yes, we do have an Ophthalmology department, but as you noticed, they do not have a web site. The number for this department is 913-588-6600. You may also find the Physician Referral Directory at http://www2.kumc.edu/PhysicianReferral/ helpful. You can call Patient Financial Services at 913-588-7431 to find out about making payments.
You are correct that there is distributed responsibility for the maintainence of various pages on Pulse. There are still departments that have not been able to representthemselves on our site yet. I'm not sure what you mean by "resources". The link to resources from our home page leads to a more detailed list of resources available on Pulse, not to our literature search service. If you let me know which link you feel is misleading, I will check it for you.
Someone else is checking on your question about out 800 number being busy. Thank you again for your input. Cheryl Pace, Assistant Director for Information Services (1998-08-21 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: Dear sir, I want to make an appointment to consult you on HPV (or Human Papilloma Virus). At this point, I have no idea whether I am infected with HPV or had infected before, which may now be latent state. In case you examine me exactly, my penis), then you can determine whether I had infected by this disease before or not (that is, my medical history on HPV). What I need is a diagnosis (or medical certificate) on HPV. Right now, I am in Korea. Why don't you you give me at least 3 weeks to meet you. I need you reply as soon as possible. I hope to see you soon. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Response: Hello. Thank you for using the KUMC Pulse Suggestion Box. A triage nurse from our Department of Family Medicine will be e-mailing you soon for more information and to also set up an appointment. Thank you. Debra Brogden, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor, (913) 588-1440 (1998-08-21 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: I was pretty sure that you have IVF programs at KUMC but I can't seem to find any information on the subject.
Response: Thank you for using the KUMC Pulse Suggestion Box. We do have information for you on our IVF programs. If you could please provide your name and address we would be happy to mail it to you. The Department of Gynecology & Obstetrics are in the process of creating a Web page. Thank you. Debra Brogden, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor, (913) 588-1440 (1998-08-21 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: IF YOU ARE AN EMPLOYEE OF THE MEDICAL CENTER AND HAVE NOT BEEN THERE FOR ONE YEAR YET, WILL I BE ABLE TO JOIN KEPRS WHEN MY YEAR IS UP. I AM TRANSFERING TO THE NEW AUTHORITY.
Response: Thank you for using the KUMC Pulse Suggestion Box. I did check with the Hospital Human Resources Office and the answer to your question is "yes." Debra Brogden, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor, (913) 588-1440 (1998-08-21 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: I have spent 10 minutes trying to find your address and there is no help in "location,map,address" I would have thought there would be something of this nature in your information.
Response: I'm sorry you had difficulty finding our address. On our home page we have a link called "How to Contact Us". This link takes you to a page with our general mailing address and frequently called numbers. Several other links our home page take you to a page that also includes our address. I hope this will be easier for you to find the next time you use Pulse. Thank you, Cheryl Pace, Assistant Director for Information Services (1998-08-07 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: I have a suggestion about the flowers in the front of Murphy where the geraniums are at now, is to maybe plant the Kansas State flower, the sunflower, as they are very hardy and would be very pretty during July-September. Geraniums do not do very well in direct sunlight, especially in very hot weather. But, they would look nicer than those poor geraniums now look.
Response: Thank you for using the Pulse Suggestion Box. I did contact the Director of Landscape Services and this is what he had to say.
"The area in front of Murphy, as of this spring, is a newly established flower bed. The geraniums were donated in conjunction with campus commencement activities. The intent was to plant the geraniums in a high profile location as a tribute to our new graduates. This was an experiment of sorts. As pointed out, the geraniums did very well until around the 1st of July. They have been removed and the plan is to plant mums in this location around the 1st of September. We will certainly consider the sunflower suggestion as we prepare for next year's season."
Thanks, again, for your suggestion. Deb Brogden, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor, x1440 (1998-08-07 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: This is a suggestion. Let's start our own HMO, like St Lukes did with HealthNet ? We can have seats on the oversight board and parcel out ($) seats to other hospitals , allowing them to buy into the HMO , as partners with us . This develops then into a pool of money to start-up the HMO . All the hospitals in the region , especially those across Kansas would probably go for it. Okay , so then what else do we need to get started ? Hire some Actuaries to develop the coverage plan and set the ins. rates - Do we have Actuaries already on staff ? Actuaries do consultation work too. KU is a good place to come for good care , I think our employees would take advantage of the services here if all the employees were offered a good HMO that was backed by KU Med Center ! And we would already have a pool of customers(employees) to draw from . Plus , by doing the HMO here it would keep the health care dollars here in Kansas, strenghtening our health care resources, rather than s! omeone elses system in another part of the country. So, do you like the idea ? Let me know ...
Response: Thank you for using the Pulse Suggestion Box. I contacted our Chief Business & Strategic Business Officer to help me answer your suggestion and here is what she had to say.
"KU Medical Center has been an owner of an HMO since 1993 - Blue Advantage. KUMC co-owns the HMO with Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Kansas City, Health Midwest, Providence Medical Center, Olathe Medical Center, North Kansas City Hospital and Blue Cross of Kansas. All KUMC physicians at 3901 Rainbow and at our satellite clinics participate as providers in Blue Advantage Products. Blue Advantage has almost 100,000 members and continues to grow. We offer several different products including Commercial and Medicare HMO's, and have been offered to Missouri and Kansas Medicaid recipients. Blue advantage is also offered to State Employees through the Premier Blue insurance product."
Thanks. Deb Brogden, Office of the EVC, x1440 (1998-08-07 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: I have question but it's not a suggestion. When will the painters finish the stairwell in Olathe garage. They are about half done but everything still has brown paper and tape all over it. Think it looks kind of tacky....
Response: Thank you for taking the time to inform us of the unfinished paint job in the Olathe Garage. We have contacted the Facilities Management Paint Shop and they will start back on the job this week. Thanks for using the Pulse Suggestion Box. (1998-07-07 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: I would really appreciate it if the ERC/ITC would keep some newer Macintoshes on hand and get some newer Mac software. Also, get a copy of cricket graph.
Response: The PC has been our standard computer platform for three years. We will be focusing our resources on maintaining the highest end PCs possible for student use. Linda Davies, Ph.D., Director, Academic Support (1998-06-26 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: Could the hospital lengthen the classes for learning Word, Groupwise....etc. It seems flashing through the material in 3 hours is not a good approach. Not everyone in the hospital is a speed reader.
Response: Actually we have already made our Word and Excel classes 7 hrs. Groupwise and Netscape classes are still shorter though. - Jim Bellamy, Hospital Systems (1998-06-26 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: It would be very nice if you have information about patients through internet procedures and little history on his/her treatment since admission.
Response: Thank you for using the Pulse Suggestion Box. I contacted our Legal Counsel Department. Just as I had thought, patient information is confidential and it is not possible to publish any patient information on the Internet. Thanks, Debra Brogden, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor (1998-06-10 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: I suggest whosever idea it was to have the Payroll/Transactions offices moved from in the hospital to Bldg. 48 have their head examined. Departments such as these that deal with the hospital community on a daily basis should be more accessible than they are. Some people aren't able to walk that far just to take care of something that may take only a few seconds. By no means is this convenient to anyone accept the person or persons whose non-brillant idea this was.
Response: Thank you for using the Pulse Suggestion Box. I, among others, made the decision to relocate Payroll/Transactions to 4125 Rainbow. I regret that this move has caused inconvenience and wasted time to those who are served by this office. Relocating people and functions sometimes prove to be more complicated and costly than first thought. Nonetheless, such moves often cannot be avoided. It was our hope and expectation at the time that we had moved far enough along in our efforts to implement our new computerized business and human resource systems that the hand carrying of paper to that office would be minimal. We obviously misjudged and for this I am sorry. We will do everything possible to fully implement our new business practices to make unnecessary the hand carrying of paper between offices. Our apologies. Roger Lambson, Vice Chancellor for Administration (1998-06-10 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: To help the communications, it would be a great help that all employees get to use e-mail......This is the best way of communication and not all employees have it.......
Response: The EVC strongly encourages all employees to obtain e-mail accounts. Any employee who wishes to establish an e-mail account must, however, get permission to do so through his/her supervisor. Thank you for using the Pulse Suggestion Box. Scott Ramsey, Assistant Director, Networking Services (1998-06-10 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: HOW CAN I FIND TO GET INFO ABOUT A PARTICULAR DEPARTMENT? WEBPAGE IS GOOD, BUT NOT IMPRESSIVE. AFTER LOOKING AT OTHER UNIVERSITIES WEBPAGES I THINK YOU GUYS CAN DO A WONDERFUL JOB IN MAKING IT MORE ATTRACTIVE. AT PRESENT I WIL GIVE YOU ** OUT OF *****. THAT'S MY HUMBLE SUGGESTIONS!!
Response: Thank you for the suggestion and compliment. To find information about a particular deparment, select Resources from the toolbar at the bottom of the home page and then select Departments. Not all departments have web pages at this time. Cheryl Pace, Assistant Director, Information Services (1998-06-10 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: A suggestion card was filled out pointing out that employees were lounging around the big screen TV in the Courtyard Cafe instead of doing their jobs.
Response: A sign will be placed on the tv indicating it was purchased and maintained by students for students. Signs will go on the north and south walls indicating that from 1:30 pm to 7:30 am the Courtyard Cafe is for student use only, seven days a week. FM and Environmental Services will place it on the list of places inappropriate for use during breaks. This will go into effect as soon as the signs are installed. Thank you for your suggestion. (1998-06-10 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: I have a suggestion for the on-line classified advertising service. There should be a "submit" icon so that it is easy for people with rentals, services, or needs to submit an advertisement. Looking through the choices I do not know how to submit an ad. Many of the categories have no items, maybe it is because nobody can figure out how to submit anything.
Response: Thank you for using the Pulse suggestion box. The Classified Ads on Pulse are intended for use by only faculty, staff and students on campus. Anyone can read them, but the ability to submit ads is restricted to the KUMC domain. That is why you are unable to submit an ad. - Cheryl Pace, Assistant Director for Information Services (1998-05-12 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: Could the hospital get some more containers for recycling? KU in Lawrence has many containers in various areas for plastic and aluminum. I think if we had them in more locations,many of us would not throw cans into our desk trashcans. thanks
Response: Thank you for using the Pulse Suggestion Box. Unfortunately, KUMC does not have an "organized" recycling program. Right now all employees who help out with recycling are volunteering their time. Until we can secure money for either a part-time or full-time "recycling coordinator," our recycling efforts will probably not expand further than white office paper, mixed paper, and cardboard. - Thank you, Debra Brogden, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor, x1440 (1998-05-12 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: I need info on viral exanthem as my 3 and onehalf year old has been exposed.No one wants to give me signs or systems to watch for or the incabation period.I am very worried about this as my Dr.said just wait and see.
Response: Thank you for using the Pulse Suggestion Box. I took the liberty of contacting one of our physicians in our Family Medicine Department. The physician provided the following information regarding viral exanthem. "A viral exanthem is basically a rash that occurs due to the infection itself. Most pediatric rashes are viral, but occasionally can be due to bacteria and therefore will respond to antibiotics (eg Impetigo, Scarlet Fever, etc). Most of the time we just watch these kids to see if any other symptoms develop (eg. sore throat, cough, fever, etc)." I hope this helps you. Debra Brogden, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor, (913) 588-1440 (1998-05-12 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: We suggest a mini sink for the handicapped and/or small children to be able to reach when washing hands in the restrooms.
Response: Thank you for using the Pulse Suggestion Box. I contacted our Department of Facilities Management and their response was, "our current construction plans for bringing KUMC's restrooms to ADA standard address ADA issues only which are door width, turning radius, door swings, approved handicap stool, and lavatory." We are not required to install "mini sinks" for the younger people. Thank you, Debra Brogden, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor, (913) 588-1440 (1998-04-21 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: It would be very convenient for the employees if we had a small post office with full service facilities on campus.
Response: contacted Erich Ulmer, Director of our mailroom and this is what he found out after contacting our USPS representative. "I have talked to the USPS rep. for our area. Having a full service post office on campus is not available to us, the USPS is cutting down on staff everywhere due to automation, it would make no sense for them to do this type thing." Erich can offer "we have a stamp dispensing machine, we do registered and all other accountable mail, the only thing we can't do is packages." Thanks for using the Pulse Suggestion Box. Debra Brogden, Office of the EVC, x1440 (1998-04-21 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: Will there be handicapp accessibility from the Olathe parking garage other than that on the first floor? It is pretty difficult to maneuver across the street when it is snowing or raining.
Response: I have head back from the Facilities Management Department and this is what I was told, "we have received materials for making the south elevator end handicap accessible and will have it installed soon. However the doors leading into Olathe Pavilion, we still need to order materials for." So good news for the near future. Thanks, Deb Brogden, Office of the EVC (1998-04-21 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: I am a 12 year old who has a very mild heart murmur. I would like to take a quick moment to thank every one at KU Med because they help you the best they can. They have also inspired me to be (when i get older, of course) an orthopedic surgeon in sports medicine because I realize I wouldn't want to do anything else in my life than helping people.
Response: Thank you for using the Pulse Suggestion Box. You are a very brave young lady and we thank you for your kind words regarding your care here at the Medical Center. Good luck with your medical career. Take care. Debra Brogden, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor, (913) 588-1440 (1998-04-03 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: The info I received was very useful! Do you have anymore info relating to a out of state high school student interested in the school? Most info seems to deal with the Kansas resident. thanks---
Response: Thanks for using the Pulse Suggestion Box. I want to make sure that you know you are communicating with the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City. This is a graduate school (School of Allied Health, School of Medicine, School of Nursing and School of Graduate Studies & Research). If you are interested in getting information from us, which school are you interested in? I will wait to hear from you before we send information. If you are interested in the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS, the telephone number for the Office of Admissions is (785) 864-3911. Debra Brogden, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor, (913) 588-1440 (1998-04-03 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: I work in the Support Facility Building. I would like to suggest that we have a payphone or several added to our building. We have no public phone for employee use in or near our building.
Response: I have been in contact with our Department of Telecommunications (Friday March 27, 1998). There is a work order in place to have a payphone installed in the Support Services Facility. Telecommunications told me the inside wiring to the jack has not been completed. They could not give me an exact date as to when the phone will be installed, but my guess is within the next three to four weeks. Thanks for using the Pulse Suggestion Box. Debra Brogden, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor, (913) 588-1440 (1998-04-03 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: When I bring my son to his appointments here on campus we usually park in the Olathe parking garage and come in underground through Olathe. There are no handicap automatic door openers for him to push and the doors are not always wide enough. It is necessary for me to hold both doors open while he attempts to manipulate his wheel chair. Is there anyway the hospital could be handicap acessible throughout without us having to park on the other side? My office is in Delp which is why we come in this way.
Response: Thanks for using the Pulse Suggestion Box. Are you aware that the first floor level leading into the Olathe Pavilion building is handicap accessible? I would suggest that you use the elevator in the Olathe Garage and get off on the first/ground level, cross Olathe Boulevard and then enter Olathe Pavilion. Do you think this route would work for you and your son? I do not think at this time there are plans to make the doors leading from the tunnel handicap accessible. Please let me know if there are any other questions I can answer for you. Thank you. Debra Brogden, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor, x1440 (1998-04-03 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: I witnessed some very strange behavior from a person while parking my car in the red parking lot behind Dykes library in the lot headed up the hill. By the time I was able to find a blue phone, the one by the individual of course was of no use, the one to the west would have been visible so I chose to use the blue phone in front of Dykes. It was very difficult to explain where the person was due to the fact that the lots are not alpha-numeric only color coded. Had I been able to say D parking second row it would have been much easier for the police to be able to look for the individual. How about an alpha-numeric system being used on the lots--if you have car trouble and someone has to help you its impossible to fully explain where you are if they have no prior knowledge of that parking area. Thank you.
Response: I was forwarded a copy of your suggestion regarding creating an identification system for sections of our parking lots. This is a great idea! I'll have our Parking Staff work on implementing your suggestion. Thank you, Rick Johnson, Director of Public Safety (1998-04-03 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: You are the best hospital.
Response: Thank you very much for the compliment. (1998-03-13 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: I wondered why this doesn't link to the Lawrence Campus page and other University of Kansas sites.
Response: Thank you for your question. We do have a link to the Lawrence Campus. From the Pulse Home Page, select Resources from the toolbar at the bottom, then select University of Kansas from the alphabetical list of resources. - Cheryl Pace, Assistant Director for Information Services. (1998-03-13 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: Does Steven Hodges still go to school here at KUMED?
Response: Good morning. Mr. Hodges is a 4th year medical student at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Thanks for using the Pulse Suggestion Box. - Debra Brogden, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor (1998-03-13 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: Our hospital is in need of extra cots for guests to stay with their loved one overnight or whenever. I was told we only have 4 or 5 for the whole hospital. Increasing the number of cots would project the image that we really care, and I know we really do care about are patients and guests.
Response: We are moving away from cots and purchasing a few sleeper chairs for appropriate units. The replacement of patient furniture (which includes these sleeper chairs) has begun today (March 2, 1998) with our first shipment in. We will continue to replace over the ourse of the next 12 months. (1998-03-03 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: Would it be possible to get new or more comfortable furniture for the ICU waiting room?
Response: We realized that the families of our ICU patients spend a great deal of time in the ICU waiting room and needed more comfortable accomodations. For this reason, the 1998 budget included money for sleeper chairs which should provide both sitting and sleeping comfort for these families as they try to be near their loved ones. These chairs have been ordered and are due in before the end of March. - Ann Babb, Interim Chief Nursing Officer (1998-03-03 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: ARE choosing KU versus the number of people who COULD choose KU: Many of the patient care units need some serious updating! This very old look tends to send a negative message to our patients. I have seen a lot of money being used on improving other areas of the campus and just wonder if the patients have taken a back seat. How much was spent to resurface the emergency entrance? Was this an absolute necessary expense? I find it hard to believe that the drive way is a higher priority than beds that work properly or an updated look to a unit. Take a look at your competitors- then ask yourself if you toured each hospital, which one would you choose? It probably wouldn't be KU. THINK ABOUT IT! Thank you
Response: Your concerns are real and on target. If the Medical Center is going to compete successfully, we must do so on every level including service, cost and facilities. You are correct in that there are many public and patient care areas which need to be improved. The limiting factor in making needed improvements is the resources required. However, KUMC has been the beneficiary of over $19 million from the State's Crumbling Classroom initiative to make needed academic facilities improvements. A partial list of projects which have been identified and funded can be found on Pulse, the Medical Center's home page on the World Wide Web. The URL for this location is "www.kumc.edu/Pulse". From this home page, go to "Current KUMC Information" and then to "Building Projects at KUMC". It can be seen that the work to repair the Emergency Room Drive is costing $837,000 which would indeed go a long way toward improving interior spaces and buying needed patient care equipment. However, replacing the defective water proofing membrane under the ER Drive was essential to prevent further deterioration of the Hospital's structural foundation. Roof work and improvements in the Medical Center's central heating and cooling systems are, unfortunately, other investments which must be made to maintain the essential infrastructure of the Hospital. - Roger Lambson, Vice Chancellor (1998-02-16 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: Since KU is supposed to be this great place to work, I suggest that whoever is in charge of policy and procedure enforce rules before hand and not after the fact. In light of the Baby Carlie situation there seems to be a big push for employees to get ID badges. That is fine and good, but if no one is going to wear them what is the purpose of having them? The real issue is not a ID badge.
Response: Our policy will continue to be that employees should wear their offical ID badge. This is extremely important in patient care areas as well as other secure areas such as laboratories etc. The Medical Center is in the process of expanding the uses of the ID badge, so an employee in the future will have more reason to have it with them at all times. - R. Michael Keeble, Associate Vice Chancellor for Administration (1998-02-03 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: I visited your website in hope of finding a phone number where I could find information on my wife who is a patient. I found no information that was helpful.
Response: Thank you for using the Pulse Suggestion Box. Our Department of Patient Information is in the process of working on a home page. In the future, please call (913) 588-5800 (Patient Information), to find out information on patient's here in the hospital. This phone number is staffed 24 hours a days, seven days a week. Thank you, Debra Brogden, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor (1998-02-03 09:13:00.0)
Suggestion: You need a map showing the designated smoking areas.
Response: Thank you for your excellent suggestion. The KU Medical Center No-smoking policy and a map showing the designated smoking areas are now on Pulse. Links to this information are provided from the Employee Resources, Policies & Procedures, and Student Information pages. - Cheryl Pace, Assistant Director for Information Services (1998-02-03 09:13:00.0)
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