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Volume 126 Issue 86
kansan.com
Monday, March 3, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN UDK the student voice since 1904
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NATIONAL
TOP HONORS
University hospital, School of Pharmacy recognized nationally
eade
KATE MILLER news@kansan.com
The University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., was recently named one of America's 100 best hospitals in Healthgrades report. The hospital was one of two Kansas hospitals to be ranked and the only one in the Kansas City area.
Healthgrades is a company that develops ratings for quality and safety of health care providers across the nation. In conducting this report, the company consulted data on patient outcomes and mortality rates from 2010 to 2012.
"It doesn't surprise me at all," said Dr. Pavika Saripalli of Watkins Health Center. "I think they have excellent patient outcomes, and I think that's what Healthgrades
mostly looks at — your rate of complications and patient satisfaction. We know locally that [KU Med] scored great on both those indexes."
Watkins Health Center primarily refers complicated or long term cases to KU Med. Saripalli said that's because the hospital provides high quality health care.
"If they can get to Kansas City and KU has room in their clinic, we always refer our complex cases to them," Saripalli said. "We feel totally comfortable with the care that [patients] get."
Saripalli also explained that Healthgrades' ranking of KU Med could play a role in medical students' opportunities in the future. In addition to receiving a great education, the national prestige will give students credentials that will be recognized across the
country.
With that in mind, projects like the Health Education Initiative, which seeks to add new buildings to the Kansas City campus and increase class size, have an opportunity to be recognized and supported. The expansion is estimated to cost $75 million and funds are still being sought.
"We feel totally comfortable with the care that [patients] get."
PAVIKA SARIPALLI Watkins doctor
With a 100 percent job placement for students upon graduation, the school certainly plays a role in supplying Kansas with its lack of physicians and pharmacists, Audus said.
The initiative's goal isn't just to expand the medical program, it's also to address the shortage of physicians in Kansas today.
According to Ken Audus, dean of the School of Pharmacy, this accreditation only solidified what the school's administration already knew.
"We understand, as the only school of pharmacy in Kansas, it is up to us to continually meet the needs of our state in terms of producing the best educated and most prepared class of pharmacy graduates that we can produce each year," Audus said in an email.
["The rating] helps to reassure people in government that the money they've already invested has not gone to waste," Saripalli said. "They're getting good results with their money, and they shouldn't be afraid to continue funding."
Another honor also boosts the University's recognition in the medical field. The School of Pharmacy earned an eight-year accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. This is the maximum accreditation a school can receive.
Edited by Kaitlyn Klein
The school had to meet 30 prescribed and rigorous standards to be accredited. The evaluation team cited the academic program, strong basic science component, excellent facilities and inclusive self-evaluation process, as well as leadership by the dean,
in its report.
- University hospital ranked in top 100 of nation by Healthgrades
- School of Pharmacy earns maximum eight-year accreditation
- Ranking and accreditation could help to address KU Health Education Initiative, regarding lack of physicians in Kansas
CAMPUS
Senate committee votes to eliminate Athletics fee
The Student Senate Fee Review Committee voted to eliminate the $25 semesterly fee paid by students to the Athletics Department Saturday evening.
This is the second step for Senate in eliminating the $25 fee benefiting travel for Kansas women's and non-revenue sports. Students will pay between $1.2 and $1.3 million to the Athletic department this year.
Associate Athletic Director Jim Marchiony and Student Body President Marcus Tetwiler would not immediately comment on the committee's decision.
The voting members on the Fee Review Committee include: select Senate staff members and representatives of the four Senate legislative bodies — the Multicultural Affairs Committee, the Student Rights Committee, the University Affairs Committee and Finance Committee.
On Wednesday, the Senate Finance Committee will pass, amend or postpone a bill to eliminate the fee. The bill, unless postponed, will be voted on by full Senate on Wednesday, March 12.
From there, the bill goes to Tetwiler's desk for him to sign off on the Senate's decision. Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little then has the opportunity to vet the bill.
Mike Vernon
MORE INFO
Catch up by reading these stories on Kansan.com:
- Student Senate fights to eliminate KU Athletics Title IX and non-revenue sports fee
- Athletics fee: University overdraft error resulted in $45,000 extra from student-fee-funded account
- Athletics fee: Questions still stand concerning funding
STATE
House committee votes to return higher ed funding
DALTON KINGERY news@kansan.com
The Kansas House Appropriations committee recommended a new and increased higher education budget last week. The proposed budget closely follows the recommendations made by Governor Sam Brownback and would return a portion of the funding that was cut from Kansas universities and colleges last year.
The new proposal includes $2 million set aside for the Kansas Institute of Translational Chemical Biology, a pharmaceutical research and development facility, as well as $70,000 for the Rural Health Bridging Program operated by the
"This facility will help develop new drugs for people that need them," said Cameron Johnson, a third-year pharmacy student from Kansas City, Kan., referring to the Kansas Institute of Translational Chemical Biology. "Having that kind of facility here at KU will obviously help facilitate drug development and formulation and add to the prestige of our University as a whole."
University of Kansas Medical Center. Plans to issue bonds will generate $25 million for the University's Earth Energy Environment Center are also included in the bill.
Absent from the new legislation are plans to fund the creation of a new health edu
cation building in Kansas City. The current health education building, Orr-Major, opened in 1976 and is severely outdated and has struggled to accommodate modern health education needs according to a fact sheet put together by KU Med. In comparison, the Universities of Nebraska and Colorado's health education buildings are six and seven years old, respectively.
Representative Barbara Ballard (D-Lawrence), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said that the new health education building's absence from the budget is likely a result of insufficient government funds. The issue of insufficient funds has been further
Index
Marc Rhoades (R-Newton), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, could not be reached for comment in time for this article's publication.
Edited by Kaitlyn Klein
"It likely wasn't a high priority for the Governor when he was planning the budget," Ballard said. "The point is, we are not putting ourselves in a position to get a building we need. We need a state-of-the-art building if we are to teach a state-of-the-art curriculum."
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CROSSWORD 5 OPINION 4 SUDOKU 5
IF PASSED
aggravated by larger breaks in the state income tax, pushed through by Gov. Brownback, Ballard said.
KEY POINTS
- Kansas House of Representatives committee recommends new and increased higher education budget.
Don't Forget
- Would increase funding for several initiatives at the University.
- Would not supply funds for a new health education building.
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2014 The University Daily Kansan
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