 This year began on a high note for the University of Michigan Health System,
with the news that
U-M’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital was ranked fifth among the
nation’s children’s hospitals in an independent national survey
conducted by Child magazine. This is the second time Child magazine has surveyed
children’s hospitals; previously Mott placed ninth in the rankings. Recognition
of the superior work done at Mott comes at a time when the hospital is seriously
crowded and greatly challenged to accommodate changing technology, expanding
programs, and the demand for services. What more might Mott accomplish with
new, state-of-the-art facilities? It is a compelling question we hope to answer
in the not-so-distant future.
Education is our core mission, and the revised Medical School curriculum,
approved last year, is in its final stages of development to be implemented
with the entering class this fall. The pending ACGME requirements to limit
the duty hours of residents, which become effective July 1, provide an opportunity
not only to control their workload but also to redesign and focus their clinical
work to improve their educational experience. The Standardized Patient Program,
developed by the Department of Medical Education in 1989, trains individuals
to represent patients in a process of simulated patient-physician interactions.
Nationally recognized as a model of learning, this program was recently expanded
to evaluate incoming residents. The U-M led the country in developing this
valuable experience for students and may be the first to use the assessment
to evaluate incoming residents.
A recent Wall Street Journal article mentioned the U-M Health System Web site
as one of the top sites in the country for providing health and medical information
online. Two areas highlighted include the Women’s
Health Program and our overall patient education site for
information on tests and
procedures. In
2001, there were
nearly 10 million visits to this site, and more than 46 million pages were
viewed. And we recently launched our Symphony of Life Web site on genetics
information, which serves as an online genetics
resource for the general public as well as highlights U-M’s leadership
in genetics and life sciences research. The site, modeled on the symphony theme,
uses U-M’s own Life Sciences Orchestra to both illustrate the genetic
process and provide a creative backdrop to leading-edge information on the
genome and its incredible potential for helping us understand the mechanisms
of human health, disease and treatment.
The U-M Health System has established itself as a leader in patient safety,
not only in the state but nationally. The details of our Patient
Safety Enhancement Program can be viewed on the web.
Late last year, we hosted a state-wide conference on “Improving Patient
Safety in Hospitals: Turning Ideas into Action,” highlighting successful
implementation of practical changes that enhance safety and reduce adverse
events for hospitalized
patients.
Our ongoing commitment to research is well demonstrated by the huge construction
projects now visible from many vantage points on the medical and central campuses.
The Basic Sciences Research Building is on schedule and on budget. To populate
it with the next generation of superb scientists, our basic science and clinical
department chairs are busily recruiting, assisted by the Biological Sciences
Scholars Program funded through the Office of the EVPMA to provide an environment
where innovation and creativity are encouraged. Research science is always
a competitive marketplace, but our prospects for success are much better than
most of our competitors.
The U-M Health System continues to be a vital, vibrant, enormously productive
place. On my frequent “walkabout” tours, I continually encounter
faculty and staff who are wholly dedicated to what they do and to keeping every
aspect of our work at the highest standards of quality for the benefit of patients,
students, residents and other trainees. The Health System, and the Medical
School that forms its core, is one in which every one of us can take a great
deal of pride as we continue to strive for greater success in everything we
do.
Lazar Greenfield
Interim Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs
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