Why You Should Choose an Academic Medical Center

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An academic medical center consists of a university’s hospital(s), its medical school and other health professional schools such as dentistry, pharmacy and nursing. Academic medical centers such as UK HealthCare are responsible for most breakthroughs in patient care.

The country’s leading specialists practice at academic medical centers (AMCs). Physicians send their sickest patients to AMCs so their patients may benefit from the extraordinary expertise available, choosing from the latest and best diagnostic and treatment options. Patients treated at academic medical centers have access to state-of-the-art medical technology and protocols developed as a result of ambitious basic scientific research followed by carefully controlled clinical trials. This is called evidence-based medicine. Surprisingly, not all health care providers employ the diagnostic and treatment protocols that research has proven to be most effective.

AMCs usually see a higher volume of patients, so the care is better because the clinical teams have more experience. For instance, UK HealthCare staff provide services for 400,000 outpatient and 45,000 emergency visits, and more than 30,000 hospital stays each year.

AMCs are familiar with very sick patients and those with complex or rare problems that have not yet been diagnosed. Most patients at AMCs are transferred there from community hospitals for high-risk procedures, sophisticated testing, complex treatment therapies or advanced medical devices.

AMCs have the most advanced hospital and clinic facilities and equipment. AMCs usually have the latest medical equipment for patient monitoring, diagnosis and treatment such as PET scanners and Gamma Knife® radiosurgery. New and sometimes hard-to-find medications can be found in AMC pharmacies. AMCs usually have sophisticated buildings and systems, such as negative-pressure rooms that prevent the spread of infectious disease and burn units. They also usually have advanced processes of care, such as computerized medication dispensing systems that help reduce medication error.

Academic medical centers have a higher number of specialists, who are more likely to keep up with the latest research. At UK HealthCare, we have a level of specialization that extends beyond the UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital, UK HealthCare Good Samaritan Hospital and the Kentucky Children’s Hospital to include the Gill Heart Institute, Markey Cancer Center, Kentucky Neuroscience Institute and other centers. Our more than 600 physicians represent more than 100 specialties and subspecialties that have the expertise to treat almost any problem. AMCs are more likely to offer clinical research trials testing the latest diagnostic and treatment therapies.

AMCs attract the brightest doctors, specialists, researchers, students, residents, fellows, nurses and advanced practice nurses, who are available around the clock to manage your care. At AMCs, more people are involved in the patient’s care, devoting their combined energies to safety and healing. And while having more people involved in your care can make it difficult to remember names, it also means more people paying attention to your medical needs and more opportunities for you to ask questions.

On-staff surgeons and physicians are in the hospital 24 hours a day. If you have complications at night, a doctor will be available to see you. And if you do not have a personal doctor, or if your doctor chooses to take advantage of our service, UK HealthCare is one of the few hospitals to employ a staff of hospitalists—medical doctors and physician assistants who specialize in caring for hospitalized patients.

Doctors and nurses and other health care providers who practice at academic medical centers are more likely to engage in clinical inquiry, be motivated by the opportunity to learn and teach, and derive satisfaction from contributing to the advancement of medical knowledge. Many members of the faculty of UK HealthCare have joint appointments at one or more of the six schools of health professions at UK: The UK Colleges of Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Public Health, Dentistry and Health Sciences.

Patients most likely to benefit from an academic medical center:

Patients …

• needing a second opinion.
• with multiple medical problems.
• needing high-risk surgery.
• with high-risk pregnancies.
• needing a second surgery.
• with a rare disease.
• needing complex care.
• needing advanced technology.
• who are 50 or older.
• with an undiagnosed disease or condition.

Legacy of firsts
Hospitals associated with academic medical centers, such as UK Chandler Hospital, are poised to be among the first in their regions to introduce groundbreaking advances in medical care.

Here are a few of our groundbreaking advances and when they were introduced at UK HealthCare:

• UK’s first kidney transplant, 1964
• UK’s first hospital crash cart, 1965
• UK’s first liver transplant, 1969
• State’s first Gamma Knife, 1991
• First heart transplant in Central Kentucky, 1991
• UK’s first lung transplant, 1991
• UK’s first endoscopic pseudocyst drainage, 1991
• First endoscopic ultrasound in Kentucky, 1992
• First comprehensive breast cancer center in region, 1994
• Only center in the state providing comprehensive deep brain stimulation program, beginning in 1997
• Lexington’s first Magnet hospital and 38th in the country, beginning in 2001
• First anti-reflux endoscopic procedure in Kentucky, 2002
• UK’s first pediatric surgery case using robot, 2004
• First Joint Commission-certified stroke center in Central Kentucky, beginning in 2005
• Region’s first Level IV epilepsy center, beginning in 2006
• First esophageal capsule endoscopy in Bluegrass area, 2006
• Delivered the nation’s first baby from a commercial frozen donor egg bank, 2006
• First Birmingham Hip® replacement, 2006
• First in region to receive triple-accreditation in heart echo, 2006
• First in nation to administer new anti-clotting drug in heart patients, 2006
• Region’s first photodynamic therapy done for Barrett’s esophagus with high-grade dysplasia (precancerous esophageal lesion), 2006
• First in articular cartilage restoration, 2006

One of America’s Best Hospitals

UK HealthCare has received national recognition for having outstanding doctors and nurses. UK HealthCare was recertified as a Magnet hospital in 2005 for four years. In 2007, 106 of its physicians were recognized as “Best Doctors” in America. For 2006 and 2007, UK HealthCare was ranked as a 100 Top Hospital and among the top 15 academic medical centers by Thomson Healthcare. It has been selected by U.S.News & World Report as a top hospital for otolaryngology (ENT), cancer and gynecology.

Academic medical centers have many roles, including:

• Handling complex cases for an entire geographic region.
• Making medicine better and safer for patients by offering advanced technology and team approach to care.
• Working with community physicians to keep patients in their local community for most of their health care.
• Training the next generation of physicians, nurses and allied health professionals.
• Helping community physicians and other health care providers such as physical therapists, nurses and others stay up to date with new advances.
• Serving as the health information source for their communities.

Health information

In need of health information? We can help. At UK HealthCare, it’s part of our mission to be Kentucky’s health information resource. Our goalis to give you information on wellness practices, diseases and treatments, and health consumer issues so that you can live your healthiest life possible and make the best possible health care decisions.

Information on a wide variety of health topics can be found on our Web site, and printed versions may be requested by calling UK Health Connection, 859-257-1000 or 1-800-333-8874.

Publications

Here are just a few publications that are available:

Advances & Insights
Advances & Insights highlights a recent medical discovery or development and provides the insights of a UK HealthCare expert. Issues are available in the following categories:

• Women’s Health
• Cancer
• General Health
• Pediatrics
• Heart Health
• Neurosciences
  

HealthSmart!
We also produce HealthSmart!, a series of publications designed to help you be a good health care consumer and get the most out of the health care system. HealthSmart! topics include:

• Genetic Counseling and Testing
• Preventing and Solving Medical Billing Problems
• Managing Multiple Medical Problems
• Patient Safety (Adult)
• Pediatric Patient Safety
• How to Avoid Medication Errors
• Getting a Good Second Opinion
• Protecting Yourself Against Identity Theft
• Electromagnetic Interference of Battery-Operated Medical Devices
• Autopsy: How Understanding Death Helps the Living
  

New topics are added all the time. Individual issues of all of our publications can be found at ukhealthcare.uky.edu/publications. Want to make sure you never miss a new one? Sign up for a subscription on the Web site or by calling UK Health Connection.

On the Web
Extensive information can be found on our Web site on various illnesses, conditions and treatment methods.

Health*Click
Visit our Web site to subscribe to our Health*Click service, which allows you to receive notification of news and special events in areas that interest you. Call UK Health Connection at 859-257-1000 or toll free 1-800-333-8874 to make an appointment or request a referral.

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To make an appointment or find a physician, please call UK HealthCare at 859-257-1000 or toll free 1-800-333-8874.
Copyright © 2007, University of Kentucky, 800 Rose St., Lexington, Kentucky, USA 40536.

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Page last updated Sunday, July 5, 2009 1:20 PM