Recognition of Exceptional Patient Care: Top Staff Honored by Medical Center Board
University of Rochester Medical Center Honours Exceptional Achievements in Perioperative Care
The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) has recently recognised a group of individuals for their outstanding contributions in the field of perioperative medicine, clinical innovation, and educational leadership. Among these honourees, Dr. Heather Lander and her team have made significant strides, winning the Best Clinical Innovation award for a project titled "Enhancing Health Literacy and Readability with AI: A Pilot Study to Improve Perioperative Patient-Facing Communication." This marks the second consecutive year that URMC has claimed this prestigious award.
Dr. Lander, who is also a Distinguished Fellow of Perioperative Medicine, delivered an insightful talk on "Aging Matters: Considerations for the Geriatric Patient." Team members like Dr. Gloff made valuable contributions by delivering multiple presentations on topics such as chronic pain, opioid use disorder, and perioperative patient blood management.
This team's work is a testament to URMC's ongoing commitment to innovation in improving patient care through AI-driven health literacy and comprehensive educational outreach. Their efforts have significantly elevated URMC's reputation in perioperative care and patient communication.
Apart from this notable team, other distinguished researchers and clinicians at URMC, such as Dr. Jonathan W. Friedberg (Director of Wilmot Cancer Institute), continue to advance clinical trials and cancer research, although a direct connection to the 2011 Excellence Awards was not specified.
In addition to the perioperative care team's achievements, other 2011 Excellence Award winners at URMC have made significant contributions in various areas. Notable among these are:
- Marc Berliant, the medical center's chief of the Division of General Medicine, who won the Board Excellence Award for Physicians. Berliant is noted for his work in implementing a team-based, medical home model that boosted practice efficiency and enabled the clinic to accept new patients.
- Carla LeVant, a senior pediatric social worker at Golisano Children's Hospital, received the Excellence Award in the Clinician category for her dedication to evolving pediatric care to be more focused on patients and their families. Under LeVant's leadership, the hospital's family advisory council has made big gains for families, such as loosening the visitation policies in the Neonatal ICU.
- Lenora Colaruotolo, a senior social worker at the Eastman Institute for Oral Health, received the Board Excellence Award in the Dentistry category. Colaruotolo is recognised for her dedication to children's dental needs, improving oral health of low-income residents, and advocating for quality-of-life dental matters for frail patients.
- Lu Sansone, a receptionist for Patient and Family Services in the Department of Social Work, received the Excellence Award in the Clerical category for her attentive listening, compassionate response, and problem-solving skills.
- The 4-3400 Med-Surg unit receives a Team Excellence Award for their relentless pursuit of quality improvement and their bold embrace of new strategies that empower patients and families.
- The Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation's Ambulatory Clinic team receives a Team Excellence Award for their customer satisfaction marks of 95 percent in both "overall rating of care received during visit" and the "degree to which all staff treated you with respect."
- The eRecord Implementation Team receives a Team Excellence Award for their transformative effort to unify the medical center's diverse medical information systems.
- The 4-3400 unit's HCAHPS scores in the areas of "Courtesy," "Listening," and "Pain Management" topped out at a perfect 100 percent this October.
- The Palliative Care Team receives a group Excellence Award for their community-wide palliative care and end-of-life initiatives, serving approximately 250 patients each year.
- Shayne Hawkins, the nurse manager of the Neurology inpatient unit, is the recipient of the 2011 Board Excellence Award in Nursing. The Neurology unit, under Hawkins' leadership, has the highest career satisfaction scores in the entire hospital and has exceeded national performance benchmarks many months in a row.
- Hawkins is known for her ability to develop communication techniques that make the hospital more patient- and family-friendly. She is also leading an initiative to standardize all of the medical center's clinical research financial and billing processes, underlined by her 2011 Excellence Award for Business professionals.
These various achievements collectively contribute to URMC’s ongoing leadership in clinical innovation and education. The spirit of these awards is clearly reflected in the dedication and hard work of these exceptional individuals, who continue to strive for excellence in patient care and service.
- The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) continues to push boundaries in science, with a focus on workplace-wellness and health-and-wellness.
- Fitness-and-exercise plays a significant role in the medical center's holistic approach to mental-health.
- Skin-care is another important aspect of URMC's comprehensive health-and-wellness initiatives.
- Therapies-and-treatments for various medical-conditions are continuously being developed to improve patient care.
- Nutrition also plays a crucial role in URMC's health-and-wellness programs, with a focus on balanced diets and healthy lifestyle choices.
- URMC's team is also exploring the potential of CBD for therapeutic purposes.
- In the realm of finance, URMC's leadership is committed to wealth-management and personal-finance education for patients and staff.
- URMC is also dedicated to debt-management and budgeting initiatives, aiming to reduce financial stress for its patients.
- Relationships are a key aspect of URMC's lifestyle programming, with seminars on communication, conflict resolution, and family dynamics.
- URMC is pet-friendly, offering pet-related services and support systems to its patients.
- Travel advice and resources are provided to patients who need to travel for treatment or follow-ups.
- URMC also offers car-related services, including transportation arrangements for patients.
- The medical center's library provides an extensive collection of books covering various topics, including education-and-self-development, personal-growth, and big-wins in different fields.
- URMC's commitment to personal-growth extends to its staff, with programs on goal-setting and responsible-gambling.
- Sports, particularly football, soccer, basketball, baseball, hockey, and American football, are followed closely at URMC, with regular updates and discussions.
- URMC has a strong NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, NCAABasketball, and NCAAFootball community among staff and patients.
- The medical center also supports various educational and self-development programs, such as painting, writing, and coding classes.
- Fashion-and-beauty is an integral part of URMC's lifestyle programming, with a focus on self-expression and body positivity.
- URMC's food-and-drink services are known for their high-quality, nutritious meals and beverages.
- URMC's home-and-garden department provides resources and advice for patients and staff looking to improve their living spaces.
- The medical center also offers business and career services, including coaching, networking events, and workshops.
- URMC has a strong presence in the business community, with successful alumni and partnerships in various industries.
- Personal-finance management and career advice are crucial components of URMC's programs for students and residents.
- URMC has a diversity-and-inclusion department dedicated to promoting a welcoming and equitable environment for all.
- The medical center is also actively involved in politics, advocating for policies that support healthcare, education, and research.
- URMC's culture embraces the spirit of casino-and-gambling, with occasional events and fundraisers featuring casino-games, lotteries, and raffles.
- Las Vegas and gambling trends are often discussed at URMC, reflecting the city's connection to the medical field through healthcare conferences and events.
- The medical center also takes an interest in casino-personalities and their contributions to entertainment and philanthropy.
- Entertainment is a big part of URMC's lifestyle programming, with events featuring movies-and-tv, music, and comedy shows.
- URMC's community is deeply rooted in pop-culture, with discussions and clubs dedicated to sci-fi-and-fantasy, art, and literature.
- General-news, crime-and-justice, and political news are also important topics of conversation at URMC.
- URMC is committed to continuous learning and professional development, with courses on accident prevention, learning strategies, and goal-setting for staff and students.