CAMPUS
University Daily Kansan, August 22, 1984
Page
Bad reputation gives incentive to Watkins head
By SUSIE FALL Staff Reporter
Most students at the University of Kansas have heard of Watkins Memorial Hospital.
"Watkins' inefficiency has caused its bad reputation," said Jim Strobi, director.
But murmurs can be heard around campus of the hospital's inefficiency, high prices and the poor students receive when they go there.
"I realize that students have had to wait up to two hours to receive treatment," he said, "but there's a lot of streamlining on."
STROBI HAS BEEN director of the hospital for eight months, and has been working steadily to imitate him and dispiell its bad reputation.
He has been with the hospital for 10 years, first as assistant director, then as acting director, and as
director since December 1983.
Since he became director, the time a student must wait to receive treatment at the hospital has been cut from almost two hours to about 15 minutes, he said. And in the past year and a half, each physician's office space has been doubled and nurses have been trained to prepare patients and handle simple problems.
"I'd like to make this the best student health center in the country." he said.
INPUT FROM THE students is an important factor in improving the reputation and facilities of Watkins, Strobel said, and he welcomes input.
"My door is never closed," Strobli said, but in the past year and a half, few students have taken advantage of the opportunity to talk with the director.
Strobi said that the few complaints about the hospital that he had heard had been concerned with high prices, not medical treatment.
Students don't seem to realize what a good deal they get when they receive treatment at the University hospital, Strobl said. The main advantage to treatment at Watkins is that it is much cheaper than services at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, 325 Maine St.
Students are charged $10 at Watkins for emergency help after hours, and some students have complained about the fee. But Lawrence Memorial charges a $60 fee to be admitted to the emergency room. Any service costs the patient more.
Strobel and Ray Walters, the newly hired assistant to the director, said that they were considering cancelling emergency charges.
EMERGENCIES AT WATKINS cost $10 only if the student is treated.
It would make a difference of about $30,000 in the hospital budget, but may be worth the deficit, Strobl said.
"It would be $30,000 worth of good
public relations." he said.
Watkins main source of income is the $56 it receives from each student's semester tuition. The remaining income comes from charges for extra services and treatment.
The greatest expense in the hospital's $3 million budget is staff salaries - 85 cents of every dollar the hospital receives is spent on salaries for the nurses, administrators, orderies and 12 physicians.
THE $56 HEALTH FEE, which is lower than almost other Big Eight school, entities students to certain services.
Free services include dietary advice, examinations, one preliminary physical therapy treatment, blood tests and chemical lab tests.
Although Watkins mainly treats and releases patients during regular business hours, two nurses and an orderly are on duty around the clock, and a physician is always on call. No major surgery is performed
at Watkins, but the hospital has 32 beds for people who need in-patient care.
A prescription that costs $12.50 in a drug store can be filled for about $7.50 through Walkins, Walters said.
Students are charged for minor surgery, medication, X-rays, continued physical therapy and mental health services, but charges for these services are lower than other hospitals.
THE PHARMACY AT Walkins has two full-time pharmacists. In addition, all fourth and fifth year pharmacy students are required to work in the pharmacy about 30 hours per semester for academic credit with no pay.
A student advisory board is appointed by the Student Senate to help make decisions about Watkins.
This group of six or seven students helps the hospital administration plan the budget, decide on an insurance plan, and screen applicants for positions.
The board members help Strobil by giving him ideas for improvement, and Strobil, in exchange "keeps the abreast of problems" that arise.
Students' ideas for improvement lead to innovation, Strobil said, and innovation leads to better health care.
Strobl has formulated health classes in diet and exercise, birth control and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Until three or four years ago, Watkins usually hired physicians who had many years of private practice. But, as staff members retired, Strobol hired "very cozy" residents in the office. The Watkins staff includes a psychiatrist, physical therapists and general practitioners.
Foreign students offer services as translators, and one woman trained in sign language has volunteered to help with deaf patients if the need should arise, Walters said.
9
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