Overview of Services
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S Setting the Standard in Health Care
By continuously responding to the needs of the community, University Health Care System has grown into one of the largest, most comprehensive health care providers in Georgia. University provides compassionate and skilled care through inpatient and outpatient services, two extended care nursing facilities, home health services, prompt care and rehabilitative care programs. • University Health Care System is anchored on its main campus by University Hospital, a 581-bed acute care hospital. • Satellite medical campuses in Martinez, Evans and South Augusta deliver quality outpatient health care closer to peoples’ homes. • University Home Health provides physician-directed, in-home care, including skilled nursing, occupational therapy, physical and speech therapy, social work and home health aide services in 14 counties in and around the Central Savannah River Area. • At Kentwood Extended Care Facility, the staff strives to make residents feel at home and part of an extended family during their stay. This facility operated by University Extended Care offers 20 personal care beds and 80 nursing home beds. • University continues its commitment to Columbia County’s outpatient needs with four medical office buildings, a state-of-the-art Diagnostic Imaging Center, the Surgery Center of Columbia County, Sleep Center, Speech and Hearing Center, Prompt Care, Occupational Medicine services and more than 20 private practice physician groups. Also featured on the University Health Care System Evans Campus are the following: – Westwood Extended Care Facility offers residents a comfortable environment designed to enhance their self-image and preserve their dignity. Westwood also has a separate Alzheimer’s Unit to provide additional care for people with Alzheimer’s Disease. – Brandon Wilde, University’s 250-unit retirement community in Evans, offers independent living, personal care and nursing accommodations. Residents are assured of care for life, as they may move from one level of care to another as their conditions warrant. Brandon Wilde has become one of the most respected retirement communities in the nation, having been selected five times by New Choices Magazine as one of the top 20 retirement communities in the country.
• A physician-hospital partnership is essential to an integrated delivery system of health care, so University and physician leaders formed University Health Link in 1994. This Physician-Hospital Organization (PHO) is jointly owned by University Health Care System and University Physician Associates, P.C., an independent practice association owned by its physician stakeholders. University Health Link maintains managed care contracts with area health plans that provide access to a comprehensive system of services for thousands of local employees and dependents. • University Health Care System and University Hospital are governed by volunteer boards, whose trustees are composed of physicians and respected business leaders within our community. They unselfishly give their time and talents to help University exceed its commitment to the community it serves. 1
Excellence
Our medical staff of independent primary care physicians and specialists who practice at University provide everything from routine preventive and diagnostic care to comprehensive cardiovascular and oncology services, and so much more. Since 1999, University has been named the Consumer Choice Award winner for overall quality and image. The Consumer Choice Award is based on an independent survey of consumers conducted by the National Research Corporation to recognize the most preferred hospitals in metropolitan areas across the country. This places University in an elite group of hospitals nationwide. University Hospital is accredited by The Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit organization, established more than 50 years ago. Joint Commission is governed by a board that includes physicians, nurses and consumers and sets the standards by which health care quality is measured. This recognition is a nationwide symbol of quality that reflects our commitment to meeting the very highest standards. These standards guide our commitment to provide safe, high-quality care and assist in ongoing monitoring of our performance. University Hospital’s nurses are recognized among the best in the region. The American Nurses Credentialing Center has recognized University Hospital with its prestigious Magnet designation for nursing excellence, a national award considered the highest nursing honor. University Hospital has been a medical pillar in the Augusta community for nearly 200 years. In that time, we’ve stayed at the forefront of technology and set the standard for health care in the region.
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Everything a Hospital Should Be the roots of University Hospital grow deep within our community. Founded in 1818, University is a notfor-proďŹ t community hospital that receives no local funding. With 581 licensed beds, this acute care hospital serves a 25-county region in Georgia and South Carolina.
Cardiovascular Services At University, we are committed to staying on the leading edge of technology and treatments. That’s why we have a long tradition of “firsts.” We developed the area’s first cardiac catheterization lab in 1974, performed the region’s first angioplasty in 1980, and in early 2003, became the first hospital in Georgia to use the drug-eluting stent. Today, generations of cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons that practice at University continue this tradition. Known throughout the region for its open-heart surgery program, University performs more cardiac catheterization procedures and open-heart surgeries than all other area hospitals combined.
University’s Heart & Vascular Institute, the centerpiece of University’s $93 million renovation and expansion project, offers a new generation of cardiac and vascular diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. Highlights include: • all cardiovascular services together under the roof of the expansive four-story, 188,000-square-foot structure • cardiac and vascular interventional laboratories equipped with leading-edge digital diagnostics • operating rooms just a few feet away from the labs • 12,000-square-foot Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Center, the largest and best equipped in the region • integrated Diabetes Services department for use in a multi-disciplinary approach to combating heart disease
This new, state-of-the-art facility allows for a more efficient delivery of care in 72 Universal Patient Rooms. These rooms are large and homelike to accommodate family members, while equipped for clinical care and staffed by nurses trained to care for patients at all levels in their recovery. The rooms include the following: • the ability to bring care to patients in one room rather than moving them from room-to-room as their medical conditions change • transformable environments that appear homelike but contain the technology needed for critical care • family zones, allowing family members to take an active part in the healing process • beds that transform into chairs and can be rolled into others areas, even the bathroom • bar-coding technology to help ensure medication accuracy and bedside computerization to increase charting efficiency • technology that integrates patient communication, education and entertainment
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A place where miracles happen daily, our Women’s Center is named for obstetrician W.G. Watson, M.D., who delivered more than 15,000 babies.
W.G. Watson, M.D., Women’s Center is the largest in the area with more than 3,000 births each year.
This wonderful center off ers a full range of obstetrical and gynecological services for women of all ages and features fully equipped, all-in-one labor and delivery suites, traditional birthing rooms, and a Level III nursery staff ed and equipped to care for high-risk and premature infants. Through the center’s Great Expectations Society, thousands of area families – more than any other area hospital – have prepared for the births of their babies and learned about infant care.
• One-on-one nursing care for deliveries
• Guests have their choice of traditional birthing rooms or all-in-one suites that convert for labor, delivery and recovery in the same location
• Named “Most Preferred” in the area for obstetrical and gynecological services, according to an independent survey conducted by the National Research Corporation • Surgical operating suites devoted exclusively to women for Cesarean sections and women’s surgeries
Women’s Services
Cancer Services University’s cancer program is accredited with commendation by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer. The multi-disciplinary team of the Cancer Services program at University emphasizes prevention and early detection and offers state-of-the-art diagnostics, treatment and support services. Our medical staff includes independent medical oncologists, radiologists, surgeons, pathologists, diagnostic radiologists and radiation oncologists. • The many amenities of University’s 21-bed inpatient cancer unit, named for Harry W. Jernigan Jr., offers comfort and convenience to cancer patients and their family members. • University’s cancer program has a long history of involvement in the National Institutes of Health and other major research organizations’ clinical trials. • The Southeastern Hereditary Colorectal Cancer Registry, founded at University in 1987, provides a mechanism for the systematic identification of individuals at risk for familial polyposis and hereditary colorectal cancers. • A multidisciplinary team of physicians and surgeons conducts regular Cancer Conferences to coordinate individual treatment plans so each patient benefits from multiple specialties involvement.
Breast Health Center “Care with dignity” is the guiding philosophy of University’s Breast Health Center. Designed especially for women, this center provides a nurturing environment for women to receive breast health education, timely diagnostic testing, emotional support and coordinated care. The center also provides support services for patients, their spouses and children, and even houses the Renewal at Second to Nature boutique, which offers a full array of image-enhancing services and products for women undergoing cancer treatment. University’s 40-foot mobile mammography unit, the only one of its kind in the area, is equipped with state-of-theart digital mammography and travels throughout the greater Augusta area providing lifesaving screenings and education to thousands of women. And through the Buddy Check 6SM program, University, Dillard’s and WJBF News Channel 6 continue to fight breast cancer by providing educational materials that stress the importance of early detection of breast cancer through regular breast self-exams, clinical exams and screening mammography. 7
The da Vinci速 Surgical System enables surgeons to perform even the most complex and delicate procedures through very small incisions with unmatched precision.
When Science Meets Skill and Expertise University invests millions of dollars each year to ensure its patients have access to state-of-the art technology. In fact, University has the most-advanced da Vinci® Surgical System in the region. The da Vinci® Surgical System provides surgeons with an alternative to both traditional open surgery and conventional laparoscopy, putting a surgeon’s hands at the controls of a state-of-the-art robotic platform. The da Vinci® System enables surgeons to perform even the most complex and delicate procedures through very small incisions with unmatched precision. For the patient, benefits may include: • Significantly less pain
• Shorter recovery time
• Less blood loss
• A faster return to normal daily activities
• Less scarring
• And in many cases, better clinical outcomes
Other Advanced Technology at University Includes: • Enhanced and expanded all-digital surgical suites to accommodate all levels of robotics and other emerging technology. • Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scanner that allows physicians to pinpoint cancer cells and determine how they respond to treatment, resulting in more targeted and effective care. • 64-slice Computerized Tomography (CT) Scanner technology that provides images with astonishing clarity and detail in a matter of seconds. • Horizon Physician Portal and Patient Folder. These remote access, real-time decision-making tools allow physicians to view images and test results from wherever they have internet access, saving patients critical treatment time. • Admin Rx Bar Code Medication Administration System. Nurses use hand-held bar code readers to scan the medication and patient arm band to increase medication administration safety through verification of the recipient, medication, amount, manner and time frame. • Digital mammography. Digital mammography provides high contrast so the details of the images are more obvious, helping to identify smaller and less traditional looking cancers. 9
Quality
Quality Care is Our Culture University takes pride in delivering high-quality care, and monitors the quality of that care by tracking specific quality measures and comparing them to national benchmarks. University was the first hospital in the region to make this information public on its own Web site so consumers could make informed decisions regarding their health care.
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement selected University Hospital as one of only 27 Mentor Hospitals across the country to support other hospitals implementing the IHI’s 100,000 Lives quality improvement initiative. Intensivist Program. University successfully sought to improve care in its Intensive Care Unit with intensivists, a move instituted by leading hospitals in the nation. Intensivists are internal medicine physicians with additional training and board certification in critical care medicine. These physicians make daily ICU rounds, review and monitor each patient’s condition and are readily available to the staff when needed. Medical Emergency Team. This multi-disciplinary clinical team is called for additional expertise and early intervention when patients experience an unexplained worsening of their conditions. Hospitalists. University has a team of hospitalists on duty in the hospital 24 hours a day. These board-certified/eligible physicians are specifically trained to care for hospitalized patients. They spend extra time learning about each patient, and work in concert with each patient’s primary care physician to provide the best possible care.
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T When Emergencies Arise More than 65,000 patients annually choose to seek and receive care in the University Emergency Department. All 22 rooms in the main Emergency Department are staff ed and equipped to care for a variety of emergency medical conditions such as chest pain, heart attacks, stroke, respiratory issues or any other acute medical situation. Patients remain here until they are stabilized and a decision is made to admit them, send them home or refer them to their personal physicians’ offi ces. The Emergency Department works in a coordinated manner with University’s full range of diagnostic and treatment departments to provide the most comprehensive medical/ surgical care possible. Since children have very special physical and emotional needs, University’s Pediatric Emergency Department is designed to comfort our tiniest patients. Children up to age 17 may be seen in the Pediatric Emergency Department by board-certifi ed pediatricians with emergency experience.
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The Second Front Door University’s Outpatient Center offers an accessible, coordinated and overall positive outpatient experience. Features of the center include:
• An expansive flat parking lot right outside the front door dedicated to the Outpatient Center, with wheelchair assistance and security attendants • A dedicated parking area for patient drop-off and pick-up • A greeter to assist patients with directions
• A call-ahead service so patients with standing laboratory orders don’t have to wait on paperwork when they arrive • Mechanical beds in the pre-op testing area that can be lowered or raised to make it easier for elderly patients or patients with other physical limitations • Seven registration areas on the second floor to help expedite paperwork
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Community Benefit In addition to investing excess revenue back into the hospital and its operations, University also delivers millions of dollars in indigent and charity care every year with no local funding. This includes coverage of hospital and physician services, support of community health clinics and funding for Project Access, a program designed to help people who cannot afford insurance but do not qualify for other assistance.
University supports the Lamar Medical Center, Belle Terrace Health & Wellness Center, Christ Community Clinic and St. Vincent DePaul health clinic. Each year, these programs provide primary care, medical screenings and educational programs for thousands of medically underserved residents. University’s disease management services – Congestive Heart Failure Program, Asthma/COPD Clinic and Retroviral Disease (HIV) Program – provide medical care, regular follow-up, medication assistance and quality of life counseling in an effort to enhance the lives of people with chronic conditions. As the fifth-largest employer in the Augusta Metropolitan Area, University has a major impact on both the local and state economies. University employs more than 3,000 men and women and each of the 600-plus physicians who practice at University are small employers who create thousands of additional jobs within the health care field. As one of the community’s leading corporate citizens, University also supports a variety of organizations that foster physical, emotional and spiritual health. An extensive community outreach program assists members of our community in caring for themselves and their families through educational programs, health screenings and special events on topics such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, childbirth and wellness. University also fosters community wellness through a spectrum of publications, broadcasts and programs that deliver health information, encourage wellness and stress the importance of regular screenings. University’s Web site, www.universityhealth.org, is the region’s most robust and most preferred medical site.
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ASK-A-NURSE through the University HealthService Center, registered nurses talk conďŹ dentially 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to members of our community about their health concerns. nurses with experience in various specialties use physician-approved guidelines to assist more than 220,000 calls each year in reaching the most appropriate level of care or ďŹ nding a physician.
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Volunteering to Make a Difference More than 300 members of the community donate more than 30,000 hours of their time each year to University through the Volunteer Board of University Hospital, improving their own lives and the lives of others. These dedicated men and women operate the hospital’s Hair Salon and Sunshine Gift Shop in the hospital and online. They sponsor the Food Court, vending machines, Women’s Center nursery photographic service, uniform shop, the New Moon Café in the Heart & Vascular Institute and the Renewal at Second to Nature Boutique in the Breast Health Center. The Volunteer Board also sponsors the Born-to-Read Program in conjunction with the Augusta State University Literacy Center. Volunteers visit each new family in the Women’s Center with items that encourage reading and give parents tips on how to read to babies.
Giving Opportunities
Every year, University Health Care Foundation works with University Hospital to identify and meet the special needs of the hospital and patients through philanthropy. Each year, the Foundation distributes thousands of dollars to help build a healthier community. They sponsor several events each year to benefit patients and support critical hospital services, including the Jernigan Memorial Golf Tournament, the Art Patchin Jr. Celebration and Tree of Love.
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Employer of Choice University seeks highly motivated, self-directed, customer service-oriented individuals to work in both patient care and non-patient care areas. Because they care for our patients and other customers, our employees are our most valuable resource. For that reason, as an employer we off er the following: • Competitive salaries commensurate with experience • Opportunities for growth and advancement • Attractive benefi t package that includes fl exible medical and dental plans, employer-matched retirement savings plan, long-term disability, paid time off , accrued leave and life insurance • Flexible work environment
• Sign-on bonus for select positions • Tuition assistance • Wellness program • Fitness center • Employee referral bonus program • Onsite child care in one of the fi rst employerbased child care centers in the nation
Educating Tomorrow’s Caregivers To combat the growing shortage of health care professionals, University has made significant monetary commitments to local technical schools and colleges to ensure we are educating and training the best candidates to be tomorrow’s caregivers. We also work cooperatively with students and graduates through scholarship programs, internships and mentoring. In addition, University trains the region’s leading graduates in the fields of radiography, dietetics and cardiovascular technology. 17
Location University Hospital is located in downtown Augusta, the hub of the 18-county Central Savannah River Area, which includes counties in neighboring South Carolina. As the second largest and oldest city in Georgia, Augusta is a city with pride in its past and a well-founded faith in its future. Augusta’s metropolitan community offers dozens of shops and restaurants, cultural attractions and entertainment venues.
Frequently called numbers University Hospital General information ASK-A-NURSE Brandon Wilde Life Care Community
706/722-9011 706/737-8423 or toll free 800/476-7378 706/868-9800
Diabetes Services
706/868-3241
Employment
706/774-2217
Evans Prompt Care
706/854-2222
Home Health
706/774-4160
Kentwood Extended Care Facility
706/863-1188
Speech and Hearing Center
706/774-8666
University Health Care Foundation
706/667-0030
University Health Link
706/774-7744
Westwood Extended Care Facility
706/863-7514