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Grant paves way for program to ensure care for foster children

Send us your questions! Mark your calendar!

Unique anesthesia tray system dramatically reduces costs

Around KUMC...

KU Medical Center in Pictures

Classifieds

Topics Information

Beanie Baby delight! Nicole Andrewson showed off her newly acquired teenie Beanie Baby, donated to KU Children’s Center patients by radio station WDAF’s David Lawrence. WDAF staff collected the toys from area McDonalds to donate to KU’s hospitalized youngsters as part of the Children’s Miracle Network program.

Grant paves way for program to ensure care for foster children

Grace E. Holmes, MD, professor of pediatrics and preventive medicine, and Jackie Hampton, LSCW, social worker at the KU Child Development Unit are working toward a plan that would provide a health passport to foster children in Kansas. The plan, if implemented, would be augmented by the KU Medical Center Auxiliary.
The planned program received $4,500 in development seed money from the American Academy of Pediatrics CATCH Planning Funds. The grant was designed to address health issues of foster children in northeastern Kansas. In identifying those issues, Dr. Holmes and Hampton will convene focus groups of professionals, including health care providers, social welfare personnel, representatives of the juvenile justice system and foster parents, who provide services to foster children. The groups will convene to design a plan of efficient health care, referral and follow-up. The goal will then be to seek major funding to implement the plan.
Among potential proposals is providing a Jayhawk Medical Passport to each foster child. The passport will summarize each child’s medical, social, developmental and educational history. To be the child’s permanent property, the card also would become an important personal possession that helps improve each child’s self image and serves as a symbol that someone cares. The KU Medical Center Auxiliary has granted funding for 1,000 Jayhawk Medical Passports.

Send us your questions!
Mark your calendar!

Have all of your transition questions been answered? If not, let us know! You can send your questions to TOPICS or drop them off in the employee suggestion boxes throughout the Medical Center.
Also, look for announcements of upcoming Town Hall meetings with Medical Center leadership, who will review results of the hospital employee survey and answer your Authority questions. Town Halls are planned for early this month.

Unique anesthesia tray system dramatically reduces costs

Creativity and a focus on meeting patient needs have generated a unique system for delivering anesthesia medications to operating rooms here at KU Medical Center.
Combining expertise of the OR, pharmacy and anesthesia, Dean Crist, Gary Johnson, PharmD, and James Kindscher, MD, developed a medication tray that has saved $4,900 a month in anesthesia medication costs.
The tray is stocked with medications used in 90 percent of all surgical procedures, as well as medications that are unique to each patient’s procedure and needs. Anesthesia staff fill individual patient trays stocked in advance for each surgery. The medication trays are maintained in central stock until the patient’s surgery is pending. When the patient’s surgery is next on the schedule, his tray is pulled and delivered to the appropriate OR anesthesia cart. The system reduces loss due to degradation of medications and inefficient use of staff time.
“Before this system, the anesthesia personnel had to go back to the drug supply room and ‘restock,’ adding an extra 10 minutes to the turnover between cases,” said Dr. Kindscher. “If you add up that 10 minutes times five cases in a room, you could get one extra case performed without making anyone stay later. The anesthesia personnel have responded with great enthusiasm to this new system.”
Crist, who is OR equipment manager, designed the trays, identified an arrangement that made the most commonly used medications the most accessible, and designed a unique housing for the vials. Finally, he developed a tray cover that prevents UV lights from degrading medications.
Johnson, who is assistant director of pharmacy, helped evaluate and track the drug. In doing so, he found significant savings. During an eight-month study when 6,632 anesthetics were performed, he measured net drug costs in the four months before and the four months after implementing the tray system. The drug tray stocking system reduced average monthly drug costs by $4,900, a 13.7 percent savings. That’s an important reduction, said Dr. Kindscher. Drugs represent 24 percent of hospital anesthesia budgets and 5 percent of hospital pharmacy inpatient budgets.
“With this system, we have less drug accumulation and waste,” he said. “We’ve had really good success in improving use of our manpower and saving in net drug costs.”

Around KUMC...
What’s New

Division of Personnel changes
policy on last day of work
Classified staff no longer must be physically at work on the last day of their employment at KU Medical Center, according to recent changes in the Division of Personnel Services policy. With their supervisors’ approval, those who are retiring or moving to positions outside the Medical Center now can use vacation or other forms of paid leave on the days leading to their retirement or last day of work.
Also, classified staff will receive holidays if they occur during the period when they are using paid leave before separation or retirement. The effective date of the separation will reflect the first day that the employee is no longer in pay status.
For more information, contact Human Resources, ext. 5080.

Jared Grantham, MD, delivers
commencement address
Jared Grantham MD, University Distinguished Professor of Nephrology, delivered the commencement address to the College of Arts and Sciences of Baker University in Baldwin City, on Sunday, May 17. Dr. Grantham, a graduate of Baker University in 1958, also received an honorary Doctor of Science Degree.

Insurance enrollment extended
The enrollment period for the Long Term Care Insurance Program for state employees has been extended to June 30. Employees can get enrollment packets by calling 1-888-898-3602 or contacting the Benefits Office, 1040 Wescoe, ext. 5087.

Chronic pain management focus
of live, satellite program today
“Management of Chronic Nonmalignant Pain” is the title of a two-hour program that will be presented live via satellite from the National Press Club, Washington, DC. The program will be in 1023 Orr-Major. Set for 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. today, it is open to anyone who works with people suffering chronic pain.
Daniel Brookoff, MD, PhD, will moderate the program. Continuing education is available for physicians, pharmacists and nurses.
Also, the KU Pain Resource Committee has invited Daniel Brookoff, MD, PhD to KU as featured speaker 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m Wednesday, June 24, in Wahl Hall East. Lunch will be provided to first 60 attendees.
Dr. Brookoff will present “Did Chronic Pain Play a Role in Elvis Presley’s Life?” as seen on 60 Minutes. He is both knowledgeable and entertaining, so join us for information and laughs. Mark your calendars! Questions? Call Melanie ext 7767.

School of Medicine awarded
for family medicine focus
KU School of Medicine and the Depart-ment of Family Medicine was recognized by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) for making family practice a top career choice for graduating medical students. Cynda Johnson, MD, interim director of the KU Department of Family Medicine, accepted the “Family Practice Percentage Award,” presented by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, AAFP’s academic organization.
KU was among 11 schools of medicine to receive the Silver Category award, which recognizes a three-year average of between 25 and 29.9 percent of graduates entering family practice residency programs.

Cynda Johnson, MD, acceps AAFP award.

KU SoN graduate publishes book
KU School of Nursing graduate Linda Sebastian is the author of an important new book, “Overcoming Postpartum Depression and Anxiety.” Published by Addicus Books, the book provides insights into seeking help for the nearly 400,000 new mothers who deal with postpartum depression or anxiety and don’t know where to turn for help. Sebastian completed her master’s degree in psychiatric nursing from the KU School of Nursing in 1982.

Items available for sealed bids
The following items are available for sale by sealed bid. Bids should be submitted to property accounting by June 10. Submit the sealed bids to property accounting in the support services building. If you have any questions, call Mark Yager, ext. 5271. Available are: Bio-tek plate reader, acquired January 1990; Olympus Microscope, acquired November 1989; Micro Centrifuge, acquired September 1984; Fiber optic system with lens, acquired July 1991; DMA-35 Density meter, acquired February 1992; Corning pH meter, acquired April 1995; Horizontal hood, acquired December 1984; AO Tissue Culture Microscope, acquired January 1985; two Phase Contrast Lens Microscopes, both acquired January 1990, and Bellco glass hood, acquired March 1988.

Free cancer screenings offered
The KU Cancer Center is offering free PSA blood testing and digital (rectal) exams on Thursday, June 4. The Cancer Center also will offer free, expert screenings to patients with skin changes of concern. The skin cancer screening will be the afternoon of Monday, June 15. For information about these screenings or for an appointment, call ext. 4780.

KU Medical Center...
In pictures

Children’s laughter and smiles filled the KU Family Room Tuesday when WDAF’s David Lawrence visited to bring KU Children’s Center patients Beanie Babies.
Pictured here is Devante Covington

The formal opening of the Walter P. Sutton exhibit featured a key note by Edward McKusick, MD.

Lyle A. Palmer, service assistant with environmental services, accepts a certificate of appreciation from Jon Jackson, chief operating officer. Palmer has worked for environmental services for 37 years--the longest of any environmental services employee. Above left: Wendall Anschutz, anchor for KCTV-5, was emcee for the May 11 Environmental Services recognition ceremony. Above right: Gus Sylvester, day operations manager, recognizing staff for all their accomplishments and their willingness to take on new challenges in the future.

Classifieds

Automotive
For Sale: 1988 Honda CRX SI, two-door coupe, 1.6L, 5-speed, A/C, tilt, AM/FM/CD with detachable face, fog lights, sun roof. Yellow. Good condition. Have all maintenance records. 99,000 miles. $3,900 or best offer. Call 737-2515.

For Sale: 1988, one-owner 323 Mazda. In good condition, A/C, new tires, 89,000 miles. $2000 or best offer. Call evenings, 384-1685.

For Sale: 1995 Honda Civic Ex. PWR, 6CD Changer, spoiler, 63K HWY MI, new tires, loaded and super clean. Moving, must sell. $12,250 OBO. Call 913-371-6968.

For Sale: 1992 Buick Skylark, 55,000 miles, gray, four-door, automatic, excellent condition, $5990. Call 384-1626.

For Sale
Garage Sale: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 5th & 6th, at 20326 168th St. (south of Leavenworth Rd) in Basehor. Items: sofa, gas grill, miscellaneous household items, clothes, clothes and more clothes.

Garage Sale: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, June, 4 through Saturday, June 6, at 4508 Farley, Kansas City, Mo. Multi-family sale, includes bunk beds, luggage, lots of miscellaneous household items.

For Sale: Drawing, drafting table, cover and halogen lamp. Excellent condition, $50. Call 438-5043.

For Sale: 54-inch big screen television. Only six months old—$1,800. Also brand new, blue velvet, three-piece furniture set—$400. Moving and must sell lots of things. Call 358-9398 before 2 p.m.
For Sale: Frigidaire washer, two years old. Whirlpool dryer, five years old. Great shape. $350 for the set. Call 816-822-1208.

For Sale: Collectible dolls: four Franklin Mint (in box w/ papers), bridal doll, two Christmas Victorian, baby with open mouth, each doll $30. Call 384-1629.

For Rent
FOR RENT: Small duplex in quiet neighborhood 5 minutes from KUMC. Two-bedroom, one-bath, $385/month. Call 262-4944.

FOR RENT: Three-bedroom, two-bath duplex on quiet cul-de-sac near 63rd and Metcalf. Living room, family room with fireplace, eat in kitchen, 1 car garage, basement with WD hookups. Available August 1. $750/mo. Call 262-4944

Wanted
Ride wanted, vicinity of Blue Ridge Cut-off and 40-Highway. Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call Larry after 6 p.m., 353-2751.

Wanted: Used wooden picnic table with benches. Call 722-2958.

Study Subjects

Topics Information
Topics is the employee publication of the University of Kansas Medical Center.
It is published weekly by the office of Public Relations and Marketing. The deadline for submitting news briefs for consideration is noon on the Wednesday before they are to appear. For longer articles or features, contact the editor in advance.
Send story ideas to Leslie Champlin, acting editor, G114 Hospital, or e-mail: lchampli@ kumc.edu or call ext. 1602

Topics ad policy
Send or bring your ad to Topics, G114 KU Hospital, or fax to ext. 1225, or e-mail: lchampli@kumc.edu by noon Wednesday of the week before it is to run.
Ads run free of charge for employees, students and volunteers. For-sale ads are limited to three items. All ads must include the advertiser’s name and work extension (or medical student box number) for verification.
Only home phone numbers --- no pager numbers or KUMC extensions --- will be published. No ads for commercial services or pets for sale will be accepted. Ads will not be taken by telephone. Only one phone number per ad.
Ads may be a held a week if space is limited.

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